


Erinnerungskreise

by vanitaslaughing



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AU, Characters will be added once they are named
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-02-23 13:00:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 79,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2548379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanitaslaughing/pseuds/vanitaslaughing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(title translation: memory cycles)</p><p>It was a simple trade between Ienzo and Isa - one day out of the castle after 15 years of being locked in, and he wouldn't touch the books on Keyblades. Neither of them could have known that the wheels of fate had never stopped turning since that night 15 years ago, during which a little more than a life was lost.<br/>A stranger with no memory, a peculiar set of skills and a Keyblade. Maybe this was more than Isa had bargained for.</p><p>(rewritten; formerly posted on my old tumblr. might take a while, I lost the last chapter entirely when my computer died on me and school's still a thing)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "I'm not asking for much."

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction was actually just planned to be a short little thing for one of my friends? It kind of took off after that when I started it... sometime last year? It's incredible, I started this fic at around the time my old computer started getting more and more a nuisance to work with, overheated a lot and shut down without warning.
> 
> Either way, this lil AU here is hard to explain. It's that extensive. I don't even use half the lore and such I made up for it. Aah. But this rewriting here will extend it a little, with new scenes and such added in. Not that you will know that unless you somehow were following my old blog and read the fanfiction when it was in progress. Huh.
> 
> (As for the title; yes it's German. German is my native language. All I'm asking is you forgive me a few grammar screw-ups? English might be my main subject, but at the end of the day it's still a language I'm still learning.  
> I don't know how many chapters this will be, actually. The old one had 12 or 13. I don't recall now, and since I lost almost the entirety of the finale of the fic... mhm.)

_There were many ways to describe this very day. Terrifying was definitely one of them – the body count was way too high for everyone’s tastes, higher than even the calculated damage. A financial disaster would be an accurate description as well; the entire Lower District had been wiped out by the still ongoing thundering storm growling with a power beyond the imaginable. For now, they decided, the best way to describe it would be odd. Plain old odd truly summarised the entire situation accurately enough for them all. People in Radiant Garden had woken up feeling strange, and the weird weather had told the tale of the oncoming storm._

_Odd were their stares, too, as they watched a figure slowly stumbling away with grim determination. He didn’t get far before the strong wind tore at his oversized clothes and made him almost trip over his own feet. But even through the gloomy dark they saw his hands shaking as he raised both of them, a weapon materialising out of thin air into these hands drenched in blood. It didn’t seem to fit to see this determination falter now, not after he so cunningly and almost smugly struck a deal out of this whole situation and turned around to leave._

_Just a heartbeat later, the person had vanished._

_With a shrug one of the remaining people bent over and carefully picked up the child still lying on the ground. He was limp, didn’t react the slightest and blood still dripped off his face. This injury would take some time to heal, and as the oldest of the group recognised at once, would never heal properly. It had been scorched onto his face using spells based on darkness – the kid would forevermore be marked with some sort of scar plain across his face._

_Behind one of the men standing there rather dumbfounded was another child, younger than the one in the tall black-haired’s arms. He let go of the white coat and stared at the place the other one had just vanished from. Silver eyes narrowed at the sight and turned to look up at the man he hid behind; a piercing gaze full of angry yet unspoken questions._

_A few moments of uncomfortable silence, a couple heartbeats, and they all turned around to leave this Lower District in case the storm would get worse again._

-

“Hey, you think you could hand me that book over there?”

“Dunno if I can, but here you go.”

“Very funny. Though, you’ve probably read that one already, haven’t you?”

“… I have. The topic was quite interesting, but I’d probably slap a ‘useless’ stamp on the book overall. How to survive in the wild is never quite a topic you can read and think about when all you’ve known are the castle walls. Being stuck in here and not being allowed to leave sure took a heavy chunk out of my interests after a while. And what’s worse, I still don’t understand why the hell I can’t leave.”

A shrug that followed a small moment’s silence. “I’m actually pretty sure it’s to keep you safe. From what exactly is beyond me, but you know how people nowadays react to stuff that doesn’t quite fit the norm. That nice little scar of yours would freak them all the hell out, and who knows what these fools might do to you. But, as I said, I don’t know why you can’t leave.”

“… It’s not like the ‘adults’ would tell me anything. I keep asking, but all I get is the silent treatment.”

The speaker shuffled in his chair and leaned backwards to grab yet another book and tossed his spoils on the table. The other person in the room leaned forwards, picked the book up and read the title. It only took a couple seconds before an eyebrow was raised suspiciously and the gaze turned from the book’s title to a face framed by blue hair.

“Keyblades…? Isa, do you really think this is the kind of evening lecture you want to read?”

“I’ve read almost everything in this room, Ienzo. Usually there’s Ansem in here and I rarely get to grab anything I really want to have. Or even worse, Even’s in here. God forbid, he sends shivers down my spine whenever he starts commenting on anything I am reading in that moment he sees me. Either way, tonight’s the only chance I have to read a book that’s normally off-limits for some reason they won’t disclose on either. I’m just interested in how Keyblade Wielders jump from world to world. I know the King uses a Gummi Ship, and some use some other way, but there’s gotta be information on how to utilise a World Storm like those that happen when a world close to ours blinks out.”

Ienzo narrowed his visible eye for a moment and huffed. He thought about what Isa had said for a moment.

“That doesn’t explain why…”

“… Lea. I’m absolutely certain something related to this happened to us. Some person with a Keyblade in their hands came swooping in via World Storm, and killed Lea. It… it has to have been someone with a Keyblade.”

“Isa, I really don’t—“

“I know. But I remember it had to have been someone with a Keyblade. And whoever was responsible for Lea’s death, they also used the same weapon to leave me this friendly little reminder on my face. Hell, Lea himself was able to use one of these. So, why then…. Why…”

Isa had leaned forward to get a hold of the book Ienzo was still holding, but the younger made a fast movement backwards and Isa’s hands grasped nothing but thin air.

“That’s exactly the reason Even and Ansem don’t permit you to read this kind of book. What happened to you and your friend was a tragedy indeed, but you’re making up things to cope with the traumatic loss of your childhood friend from back then. There’s no way someone sensible with access to a Keyblade would willingly attack someone else with one – not after what the Keyblade War has wrought upon the worlds. Radiant Garden’s Keyblade Wielder has perished back then. And you lost your best friend. Of course you’re looking for some kind of excuse to read about the weapon said friend used to have so you can feed your imagination.”

Awkward silence spread in the library. Isa’s arm dropped and he started frowning. It was more a bitter glare than a frown; a bitter glare filled with the loss of parts of his memories and the loss of the best friend a child could have had. To be honest, that kind of look freaked Ienzo out – Isa was never one to look like a defeated beaten animal, but right now he did.

“Look, sorry. Isa, I’m sorry. … How about we just… make a deal of sorts. Tomorrow, I’m going to take you out of the castle for a while before Ansem and Even and everyone returns. And in return you don’t lay as much as a finger on these kinds of books should the chance arise in the future.”

“…!” Surprise spread across Isa’s entire face, the bitterness from a moment ago vanishing. It was even something like restrained joy, now that Ienzo looked a little closer. He laughed.

“Now that’s exactly the kind of look I’d like you to have constantly, my friend.”

-

_The kid’s eyes were unnaturally calm for someone who had just survived an assault by an unknown person. But in his eyes was a hint of despair and hopelessness, something much more befitting of a child whose entire neighbourhood had just been almost entirely wiped out._

_“I’m not asking for much, I’m really not. Just… Just keep him safe. Don’t let that guy find him. That guy… that guy, he hurt him real bad. I don’t want that to happen again. He’s my best friend in the whole entirety of all worlds out there. I’d die if something else happened to him – it’s already probably my fault he’s hurt right now. I just… I just want him to not get hurt anymore. I’ll do anything in return. Anything. I’ll even give you this Keyblade once I’m back from hurting this guy right back for hurting Isa. Please, Master, please.”_

_Eerie silence spread between the people of the castle and the Lower District child as a chilly wind rose around them. The darkness of the district made this whole situation even worse – it wasn’t night yet, but the night would be even darker now that the World Storm was still in swing. It actually was the first World Storm in years, and since they were something that happened irregularly, the Lower District had not been able to properly evacuate. These two children might as well the only known survivors right now. There might have even been fools who only wanted to experience a surge of adrenaline and paid for that idiotic attempt at thrill with their lives._

_The kid’s chest was heaving with exhaustion, and the blood all over him gave off the impression of a long battle. It was actually not the kid’s own blood; it was that of his friend, sprawled across the ground and breathing slowly._

_“Pray tell, what are we supposed to do with your friend, then?”_

_“… Isa’s clever. Real clever. Kinda cut to be a scientist. He loves reading and studying and all the boring indoors stuff. Just keep him locked away so that guy can never find him again. Isa doesn’t like to run around anyway. Please. Please… That’s really all I’m asking for. And I’ll do anything once I’m back. Please…!”_

-

“I really don’t think this was one of my brightest moments… Ienzo, please, not so fast!”

“Shut up, Isa. You wanted this, you agreed this morning when I asked you again, and anyway, if anything happens to you it’ll be my fault for taking you out. So calm down and try to walk a little faster, you normally almost run through the castle halls anyway. There’s a near zero chance that anything interesting will happen anyway, this is a perfectly average day.”

“… Oh… Hey, you hear this too…? That’s quite the commotion…”

“… Is that a gathering over there…?”

-

_“… One last thing before I leave. If he asks for Lea… tell him Lea is dead. Tell him his body got swept away by the dark and out into the Lanes Between before you could act. Make him hate the outside world to keep him hidden away. And the easiest way to make Isa hate the outsides will be… Lea being dead. Me having died. Please make him believe that I have died with all his heart. … If I return I won’t be the same person he knew, anyway.”_


	2. Wake

Thinking back on his life until that very moment, Isa realised it had been absolutely unremarkable for around 15 years. He didn’t remember the exact timespan that had passed between the World Storm and this day, but since his birthday was well since over, it had to be more than 15 years. 25 was kind of a weird age to finally make a step into the world outside the castle. Normally people around his age were planning on getting married, had children of their own or a future goal they were working toward. Isa had none of these things, but he hadn’t even remotely thought about leaving the castle until his 21st birthday anyway. The outside world, so he had believed until then, was out to get him, to kill him in every way possible. It wasn’t surprising, considering how his entire family had perished in a World Storm along with his best friend and basically the entire Lower District. He couldn’t even recall how he had ended up in the castle walls he believed to be both protecting and imprisoning him since the day of the World Storm. His memories were a fuzzy mess, like a bad recording of something with static screeching between all of the scenes. Himself and Lea, running. Then a person towering over them with a Keyblade. A shriek. That was all he remembered of the night his entire family and even his life up until that point had died. His next memory was of the next day. He had woken up in a small desolate room of the castle, with nobody but Ansem the Wise around who carefully observed the child now in his care.

Isa had been ten, Lea even only nine.

Just thinking about the younger one made Isa’s stomach churn with guilt and anger. If he hadn’t failed to dodge the stranger with the Keyblade and passing out after the future scar had been carved into his face, Lea wouldn’t have… done whatever he had done to end up a dead body on the ground that got swept away into the darkness.

15 years was supposedly a long time, but lately it had started to feel like more time was passing. Even someone as laid-back and conflict-avoiding as the calm and patient Isa got impatient after a while. He knew the castle inside out, knew exactly what happened around it from observing through the windows. But anything beyond that, beyond the Castle Gardens and the Castle Walls, was a mystery to him. Though he and Ienzo were playing with their own lives getting the blue-headed man out of the castle, Isa was fascinated. Radiant Garden’s main town was nothing like he barely remembered from his childhood and not like the sounds had made it out to be. It was quite easily put one of the most intriguing places he knew.

At least until a certain noise arose.

All of a sudden he wanted to be back in his silent rooms, somewhere within the Castle Walls and beyond the Castle Garden, somewhere way deep inside the imposing building in the middle of the city. There were only a few select people he knew, with sounds he had long since got used to. This sound out here however was that of countless strangers, all perched into the same standing place – maybe another plaza? – and chattering about the same thing. It made Isa kind of anxious.

“I really don’t think this was one of my brightest moments… Ienzo, please, not so fast!” He glances around nervously, only to realise Ienzo was oblivious to the sounds of a gathering yet. In fact the younger man seemed to be getting rather annoyed by how insecure Isa turned in less than a couple seconds.

“Shut up, Isa. You wanted this, you agreed this morning when I asked you again, and anyway, if anything happens to you it’ll be my fault for taking you out. So calm down and try to walk a little faster, you normally almost run through the castle halls anyway. There’s a near zero chance that anything interesting will happen anyway, this is a perfectly average day.”

To be honest, Isa was getting annoyed himself. Mostly because Ienzo was either successfully ignoring the noise, or really didn’t hear it.

“… Oh… Hey, you hear this too…? That’s quite the commotion…”

Ienzo finally perked up and listened. “… Is that a gathering over there…?”

‘Over there’ was new to Isa, so he turned the direction Ienzo had turned to look. It was indeed a smaller plaza, and a gathering too, but something about the voices was kind of off. It wasn’t regular market banter or a neighbourhood chat. The general voice seemed to be a chatter of hostile voices, and the tension in the air was so thick Isa felt like he was going to choke. They walked towards the gathering slowly, and Ienzo narrowed his eyes. He also raised a hand to stop his fellow student. They shared a long look, and Isa shrugged – he knew that look in Ienzo’s eyes. “Stay out of trouble, I’ll check out what’s happening”. Since Isa didn’t particularly want to go crowd-surfing he decided to let Ienzo barge right in.

Actually, the noise died down when Ienzo pushed his way in, which was kind of confusing. A split moment’s silence wasn’t enough to warn Isa that people would start yelling a second later. The air was literally thick with something now. There was a crackle drifting along the late summer breeze, and the smell of something burnt was spreading too. Ienzo was an excellent mage, so maybe he had to step in on someone else using magic irresponsibly.

Eyes downcast Isa just hoped this would be over soon. Because of his eyes glued to the floor he didn’t realise what was going on until there was something cold and metal pointed at his face. Not sure where to first look, Isa cast a few panicked glances onto the weapon until he finally realised that someone had to be holding said weapon – that someone was also breathing rather heavily.

“Impressive leap!”

“Who’d have thought some stranger would be able to do that…”

“Amazing…!”

Though the voices from the crowd were those of praise, Isa’s opposite twitched nervously. The blue-haired considered stepping away for a moment, but knew better than trying to tick off a stranger with a weapon pointed at his face. The general muttering of the crowd was still amazed, though it now settled into something more worried for the strange person who was apparently a local. Although a few of these people started discussing the stranger’s weapon of choice. It was only then Isa picked up a rather important detail. Tearing his eyes away from the stranger’s face he looked back at the weapon, the realisation dawning upon him.

A Keyblade.

Which means this stranger was just someone who had washed up here. Radiant Garden’s Keyblade Wielder was dead and there hadn’t been a new one born so far. Taking the stranger’s confused and wild look into consideration he had probably just lost his world or slipped into the Lanes Between because of a World Storm. It certainly explained the confusion and fear draped on the stranger’s face and the deep-rooted pain clouding over the unknown person’s eyes.

The eyes were the next thing Isa noticed. He’d never quite seen a colour as that in years. As if someone had found to forge a live flame into this man’s eyes; that was how brightly they stood out from his tan face and from underneath the wild red bangs.

The man was taller than Isa, certainly better built as well (not much of a stunt to pull), but overall in a rather poor condition. Torn and burnt clothes, shaking hands and an unfocused gaze, and blood was slowly dripping off a wound on his jaw onto his (surprisingly) otherwise untorn scarf. His breathing came in ragged gasps (exhaustion? Panic? Dehydration? A little bit of all three?), and he twitched at every other loud word from the crowd.

Isa slowly raised his hands and gently nudged the Keyblade away from his face.

“…?!”

The stranger flinched and let go of his weapon. A loud clatter of metal against stone floor, and the weapon vanished into a burst of flames a moment later. He drew his extended arm back and raised the other – was he dropping into a defensive stance now? It certainly looked like it, and his eyes lit up with even more confusion. The longer Isa stared back, the more aware he became of how clueless and scared his opposite actually was. His clothes, barely more than a shredded black coat, hung down from his body like a weird cape rather than a coat, and the clothing underneath that was torn and drenched in blood as well. It might not have been entirely his, but the ashen face the stranger had made clear that at least some of that was his own. Injured and in a strange place, surrounded by even stranger people… Isa felt like he was having a little Deja-vu here.

Actually, the feeling worsened once he realised how familiar this person looked. Lea was less tan, and had died a child, but the green eyes and red hair looked familiar to Isa somehow. Maybe because Lea used to have these too.

From somewhere in the crowd rang a loud “Isa,” but he didn’t exactly pay attention to it. The stranger, however, did, and looked around.

This simple gesture of trying to pinpoint where someone was despite not seeing them made it clear to Isa that this person knew how to fight properly. The redheads entire body tensed, ready to jump away once he heard the person behind him again.

Another moment passed, and the tension left the outsider’s body. With a small groan he grabbed at his head, stumbled around for a few seconds, before finally sinking to the floor. Exhaustion had apparently finally taken its toll, and Ienzo burst out of the crowd. Isa barely managed to breathe, let alone move, as his bewildered and kind of scared eyes locked onto the stranger on the ground.

“Isa! Isa, are you alright?”

“… I’m… I’m fine. What… what about him, though…? Ienzo…?”

A gasp ran through the crowd. Isa and Ienzo were the names of apprentices of Ansem the Wise, and at least the one called Ienzo looked familiar to the people of Radiant Garden. Since this was supposed to be a peaceful world they all scattered in a hurry, trying to ignore the stranger and the Leader’s apprentices. It only took them a couple of minutes to leave no trace of a commotion behind other than a slightly burnt stone floor and the stranger stretched across the very same like a discarded puppet of some sort.

“Is he… is he dead?”

“… I don’t think he is.”

“… Ienzo, we have to help him.”

“But he attacked—“

“Who’s to say they didn’t attack him first?”

A long groan from Ienzo. He then scratched his head, and then looked back at Isa. This plan was nuts, and Even would tear them into tiny ribbons, but it was the only thing he could think of other than leaving this guy there and letting him possibly become a danger to Radiant Garden.

The next problem was getting him back to the castle. Dragging him through Radiant Garden proved to be more of a problem than anticipated, and the already returned Dilan and Aeleus didn’t make this ordeal better the slightest. Even and Ansem were thankfully not back yet, but the Castle Guards too started angrily frowning when they saw not only Isa outside, but also carefully heaving a stranger along with him. Ienzo hurriedly explained the situation, and almost started screaming when the two older men refused to let them in with a stranger like that. He was just about to yell at them that this wasn’t the time for idiot games when the stranger somehow reminded them all of what was truly important here – he was still bleeding, after all.

‘Well, we’re inside now but… I’d rather we hadn’t fought with Dilan and Aeleus…’

-

_A scream._

_The sound of someone being smashed into the ground and bones breaking._

_This time it was Ryuu, someone they had all somehow grown fond of. Someone who had the skill to normally survive the brutal torture disguised as training, someone with the ability to worm out of even the worst kinds of situations. This was an essential skill for the survivors, and those planning on even surviving further, as they were taught to. Ryuu, a skilled fighter with enough heart left to help those who needed it. He’d always managed to get out of the worst kinds of troubles, something that the others had looked up to._

_He grimaced. What kind of leader was he when he couldn’t even protect his own?_

_Another clash._

_Another clatter._

_Eventually even the screaming died down, and the remaining people huddled together closer. Some of the fighters (children!) started crying._

_A silent agreement had been made by the time they were finally able to get up again and get back to their usual camp._

- 

Green eyes snapped open and the stranger shot up so quickly that Isa almost dropped the book he had been holding. Almost immediately the stranger winced and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose before sinking back into the bed he’d been placed on. He wore pain like a mask, Isa noticed, and closed the book slowly.

“Take it slow. No bones were broken or nerves severed, but your overall state is rather poor.” He commented and earned nothing but a confused glare. “… Great, you come from some backwater world and don’t speak Lightlandish, then?”

Much to his surprise the foreign person shook his head slowly and closed his eyes again. He wore nothing more than a small smile for a moment.

“Nah. Understand ya perfectly…”

His voice was barely more than a whisper, but it had a certain melody to it still. At least Isa felt like there was an underlying melody of sorts, but then again he’d barely met any other people in his life. Still, compared to the technical and dry tone most people in the castle used, it seemed like this stranger was speaking in a low sing-song. A voice that clearly carried emotion and feelings was something Isa had not actually heard in years.

“Where…?”

“Radiant Garden, Light Cycle 105, under the general watch of the Land of Departure. You’re not from around this collection of worlds, then?”

“… Alright… What happened to you, then? Did your world vanish into darkness and you attempted to escape with your Keyblade in hand?”

Again the redhead did not answer, but a confused look spread across his features. He screwed up his face until it was nothing more than a grimace – and expression Isa had never seen before.

“… What’s your name, then?”

This time he was met with fine laughter. The one on the bed opened his eyes again; his green eyes alight with some sort of amusement, though his voice didn’t suggest he was happy at all. Actually the laughter was filled with bitterness. His face clearly suggested joy, whereas his laughter did not – years of being locked away finally took their toll as Isa was met with the realisation that he was unable to read this emotion and behaviour.

“Look, Princess Scar-face of Radiant Garden, I don’t wish to disappoint Your Royal Highness the Bluebird, but there’s not a single answer I could give you without breaking into hysteric laughter out of my inability to answer.”

… To be honest, these words passed right over Isa’s head. He thought he understood what the stranger had meant, but a moment later he realised he actually had failed to understand that messy sentence.

“… Oh, c’mon, don’tcha recognise someone with memory loss even when they’re straight up tellin’ ya? My whole mind’s drawin’ a huge blank card when I tried to answer yer questions there. All I ‘member is wakin’ up here in this there city, with people crowded ‘round me ‘n’ all of a sudden they decide ‘s time to kick the bleedin’ dog while he’s down ‘n’ unable to bite ‘em back.” Isa blinked – he’d never heard someone talk like that before and it took him some time to make out what the other was saying in a hushed voice. “What’re ya supposed t’be anyway? The one t’take off m’head for insultin’ yer culture? Are ya the last thing I’ll see ‘fore they chop off m’head?” Actually, this accent itself wasn’t all strange, it was the sheer voice volume he suddenly managed despite being injured. Isa’s delicate ears were ringing already. “Can’t say yer not a pleasant face t’look at ‘fore I die. There’s worse faces ‘round. Like that bloke right ‘hind ya. Dang, you sure got cursed with the uglies, man.”

The blue-haired was almost afraid to turn around. He already knew from the loud and enraged breathing that Even was standing right behind him and glaring daggers at the foulmouthed stranger. If Isa and Ienzo hadn’t been already up for gutting for going outside, then they sure as hell were now for bringing in such an ill-mannered person. He actually felt his blood draining from his face – Even, when enraged, was easily more scary than the thunderstorms Isa feared so much.

“Wha’? Ya lose yer tongues or wha’?”

The underlying challenge glinting in these green eyes was reason enough for Isa to stand up and keep Even from lunging forwards and clawing that guy’s throat out. It was that moment Isa realised that the stranger was actually looking for something while spewing his insults and such. Peculiar behaviour, and since he’d read a lot about it in theory he was almost pleased he could study it now in real life.

“Hold up, Even. Before you try to kill our… guest, we might have a hint on how he really was like before he supposedly was like before he lost his memory.”

“Do I look like I care, Isa? This bastard deserves a sound beating for being a brat!”

“… He’s a grown man, Even. More importantly a grown man who is desperately trying to keep his cool with insulting us while looking for a way out of this room despite being unable to even stand up.”

Now it was the redhead’s turn to fall silent. His green eyes widened a little – he looked like a child that had been caught stealing cookies from the jar. Isa smiled and tapped his chin, putting the book on the empty chair beside him.

“There’s one door to this room, as you surely know by now. Even’s standing in the way, however, and you don’t know how fast I react when I’m aware of my surroundings unlike before on the plaza. The only window in this room is out of your immediate reach as well, and by the time you’d have been caught by me and Even as well. The only way you could escape would be blindly casting a strong spell – which you lack the power for right now – to the wall behind you, but you don’t know if there’s a room behind you, or just a steep fall. It could be possible there’s no window on that side of the castle and you’d just plummet to a messy death by falling. Correct? Now, the only way to get past me and Even would be somehow jumping high enough to reach the hanging lamps, swing across mine and Even’s heads and reach the door. If you did that correctly, you’d be able to escape before either Even or I could react. Alas, that’s out of the question because you are too injured to move that quickly. You also don’t know if there isn’t some kind of backup behind the door.”

“… Darn, yer good.”

Isa tapped his chin again, before turning around to look at the less fuming but still furious scientist behind him. “Even, would you mind leaving? There’s something interesting I haven’t yet figured out about our guest here, and I’m certain he won’t speak with you around.”

A huff and an annoyed grumble wasn’t what Isa expected. He’d expected a typical Even tantrum, but the older man left without a loud complaint.

A few minutes nobody said anything; Isa just looked at the stranger, and the stranger stared right back.

“Look. I really don’t care if ya want t’keep me as yer pet or something, but there’s somethin’ I really oughta do. Jus’ don’t remember what, bu’s there.”

The blue-haired merely shook his head slowly. “No. First of all, you’re injured. Second you yourself have claimed to have lost your memories. No matter the weapon you handle, you’ll be dead before you know it if you don’t remember your cause for fighting. Do you even know your own name?”

“A nobody like me has no use fo’ that, y’know.”

“… Whatever you say. Since you’ll be staying here until you are recovered, we kind of need something to call you. Any ideas?”

Green eyes narrowed and a rather annoyed sigh escaped the stranger’s lips. “Don’care,” were the words he muttered almost angrily.

Once more Isa tapped his chin (a bad habit he picked up from Ienzo and Even), then his eyes lit up.

“Axel.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll call you Axel from now on.”


	3. Cause and Reaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish there was an explanation for posting two chapters at once other than "yolo" (because I ditched sleep to finish this one)
> 
> Starting this chapter however, "Axel" will grant us a little insight on what he thinks about places and people and other terms. They're... Mostly funny in the beginning. Also a little informative. Mostly fun. At least for now.  
> Also the characters who appear here without their names being revealed are pretty easy to guess... And "Lumaria" is a dead giveaway. Oops.

“Axel” – My name. I think. Not really. Not sure. It’s just a placeholder until I remember my own name. Something about Axel seems kind of off. Familiar. Something about this name feels… bad. Like bile rising up. Why’s that? Why am I so… upset?

-

“Isa” – Lean, kinda thin, teal-eyed and blue-haired. His clothes are all in darker blues except for the weird white pants. He apparently dragged me in here, and “Axel” was his idea as well. He claims there’s something interesting about me, but honestly, I’m more freaked out by and interested in him than he seems in me. Especially that nasty scar shaped like an X in his face. That must’ve hurt.

-

“Even” – Kinda stepped on this blonde guy’s tail. Oops. Let’s be honest here; I’d die if I had a face like his. … Then again, his face isn’t some stranger’s face to himself, I suppose.

-

“Keyblade” – Seems to be the name of the weapon that materialised in my hands when I was attacked. Looking at it makes me kind of nauseous. What the hell? Why would my own weapon make me feel sick like this?

-

“World Storm” – The energy unleashed when a nearby world is swallowed by darkness. An energy so raw that it pierces through the veil surrounding each world and seeps into it. From afar they look like shooting stars, but up close it’s like a hurricane of darkness tearing apart a small portion of the world it hits. If you’re unlucky enough to be in the proximity of it, there’s a chance you get dragged out of your world and hurled into the Realms Between. Either my world was lost to darkness, or I happened to be in one of these. I don’t know. I don’t think it’s related to how I got injured and lost my memory, but…

-

“Radiant Garden” – ‘Light Cycle 105, under the general watch of the Land of Departure’, whatever that means. All I know about this place is that the light here is blinding. The sun’s pleasant. There’s a huge castle in which I am currently kept prisoner of some sorts. Great. Just fantastic.

-

Just a mere 20 minutes had passed between finally being allowed to drag the stranger in and Ansem and Even returning. Ienzo had tried to swallow down his general feeling of uneasiness and slight fear of admitting what he had done – there had to be a reason Isa wasn’t allowed out under any circumstances, and he’d broken the rule. Even after breathlessly admitting his mistake and telling the story of how an injured man with memory loss got into the castle he’d more watched for general reactions by his guardian and his master. The man who had basically raised him had been furious, not only because Axel had managed to tick him off in a single sentence, but because Ienzo had acted ‘like a mindless child unable to better judgment’; Ansem the Wise had only stared and listened, a thoughtful expression on his face. After Ienzo finished, Ansem raised a hand to silence the still complaining Even.

“Ienzo, has there been a World Storm while we were away?”

“No, my lord. Things have been quiet, almost unusually so. I got this foolish idea of keeping Isa away from these books by letting him stroll through the city a little only because things were that quiet. Even is right, I should have known better.”

“The damage has been done, Ienzo. More importantly, I am rather concerned about how Isa will react now that there is someone around him with the ability to summon one of these weapons. With the books he would have only fantasised about whatever ridiculous story his twisted memories of the night had spun… and now he has access to someone with the ability to summon this fabled weapon. Though… It was about time he attempted something like this. He’s been getting rather restless these past few months.”

The door fell shut all of a sudden, and Ienzo jumped a little; apparently Even had still been furious enough to just up and walk out. He didn’t pay it much mind before turning his head back to Ansem and speaking up again. “Restless or not… It seems odd he wants to go out now. I remember him refusing to even go into the Inner Garden when we were younger… and now he accepts a stroll through the city as a trade…? What’s up with you keeping him locked into the castle walls, anyway?”

He never got an answer. Icy silence spread in the room and made a shiver run down his spine – Ansem’s thoughtful gaze had turned to a cold glare. The young man shrunk away in embarrassment, did a little bow and hurried out of the room. Angering Ansem was always a bad idea, but this kind of silence was new even to him.

… Maybe he should warn Isa that he had managed to tick Ansem off. Then again, Isa was a fast thinker. He had probably already figured out that Ienzo took a wrong step in this conversation. Ienzo always did when talking to Ansem – everyone in the castle actually did. And Isa certainly knew they were in trouble, so Ienzo didn’t bother.

What did bother him was the lack of an answer. Why wasn’t Isa allowed to leave? The day they picked up Isa had been the day of the worst World Storm to strike Radiant Garden so far, that much he knew. The entire Lower District had been wiped off the city map that night, and nobody had been bothered enough by this to rebuild it. Instead the Outer Gardens had been expanded even more than they already were.

A World Storm strong enough to cause this and all Ienzo remembered was the smell of blood and darkness, as well as some sort of smell he couldn’t quite pinpoint from his hazy memory. That, and a stranger with a Keyblade in his hands. He didn’t know how tall the stranger was, or what Keyblade he used, but there had been a stranger with a Keyblade. The so-called “twisted memories” of Isa’s could be true after all.

Ienzo shook his head and sped up his steps. He took a few twists and turns until he ended up in an unused hall of some sorts. Opening a door and sitting down on the chair in there, he just buried his face in his hands.

Something about this thing reeked of trouble yet to come.

 -

Thankfully the redhead’s interest in the name “Axel” faded as quickly as it had spiked; something Isa was rather thankful for. He’d not chosen the name at random. After all it was nothing more than the name “Lea” with an extra X in it. He hadn’t been able to think of anything better for the redhead, and his initial thought of calling him “Lea” seemed disrespectful to the perished friend he still cherished so much. And since Axel had been staring at his scar in that very moment, Isa had decided that “Axel” would somehow suit the stranger.

He had tried to get more out of the redhead. Axel actually made an attempt at recalling something, anything, to answer Isa’s questions, but his memory was a blank white sheet, the writing formerly on is erased and covered under a layer of white colour. Basic skills like speaking and spelling were there and he was able to react rather quickly, but everything else was just… no longer there. Actually, his reflexes were almost inhumanely fast.

Isa drew the logical conclusion that Axel was a trained warrior of sorts, or maybe an assassin. The black coat suggested the latter. If he really was, then it was good he had lost most of his memory. Then again, were there any assassins with a Keyblade? Probably not. Keyblade Wielders were not welcome in most of the smaller worlds, so why the hell would someone with one train in assassination to further ruin the Wielder’s reputation?

It was an absurd thought, but it also fit rather well. After all, people with a Keyblade had unlimited access to all worlds. Skipping through worlds like pages in a book and vanishing after a murder had been done seemed rather effective…

Absurdity aside, this kind of freedom was exactly what Isa had longed for. With a Keyblade he would have been able to leave this blasted castle at his leisure, and return whenever he felt the time was right. ... But what was the price of that freedom? Lea had this ability, and just thinking about what had happened to Lea made Isa choke up a little.

Lea, the younger boy with the Keyblade, the loud and cheery one who made the most ridiculous plans of becoming a world pirate along with Isa when they were adults. Lea, the one who died and whose body vanished into the darkness between the worlds, never to be seen again.

“Ey! Ya listenin’?”

Isa cringed and dropped his cup of tea. “Eh?!”

“Aah. Lookit that, he heard me.”

“I thought you were asleep! The hell do you want!?”

Axel’s grin was almost infuriating as he tried to sit up awkwardly. He stopped trying in a rather suggestive position, but Isa paid it no mind.

“I asked if this was yer home.”

“… Sort of.”

“Sorta?”

“It’s,” Isa struggled for the right words, “been more a prison lately.”

Axel merely raised an eyebrow in response. “Yer bein’ kept prisoner?”

The blue-haired scowled. “Can’t you talk like a normal civilised person?”

“Well, no, I don’t know. Maybe I can. Maybe I just don’t want to, you feel.”

Ignoring the broken teacup on the floor, Isa sunk backwards into his chair with a groan while Axel just gave him a cocky grin. This man had to have been one of the most annoying people in the worlds before he lost his memory; no other explanation seemed to make any sense. He had no manners, a bad overall character, and he loved to make fun of his more-or-less voluntary nurse. … Then again he did lose his memory. Maybe he was just copying one of these ill-mannered Middle District people who had attacked him.

“Okay, okay,” Axel began suddenly and sat up straight, “I can talk like a normal and civilised person. Why the hell wouldn’t I be able to? It just feels ridiculous to use perfect grammar and all that when I have lost my damn memory, you see.”

Isa merely cocked his eyebrows and got up. With a shrug he started picking the shattered remains of his teacup off the floor. “That’s actually an interesting hint to your personality. There are a couple scholars and such who refuse to talk High Lightlandish to hide the fact they are in fact scholars. They pick some kind of dialect and learn that so nobody can guess their true calling. Actually, I’ve heard of some travelling Keyblade Masters—“

A shrill scream cut Isa off and he dropped the teacup shards again. Bolting upright he stared as Axel just grabbed his head and sunk back into the bed. His eyes were wide open and full of some sort of terror.

“Axel?”

Isa got no reaction as the stranger continued sinking away further and further, shrinking away from the blue-haired man as far as he could on this bed. The standing one’s mind worked at high speeds whoever. Apparently Isa had accidentally tripped over something that triggered a strong reaction from the amnesiac. This and the fact that he had been beaten up as well as disoriented… when all the inhabitants of Radiant Garden had merely shoved the stranger around to get a response…

“… Ah. Severe trauma, either emotional, physical, or both, caused your memory loss.”

He didn’t get a response from Axel. The other man had just buried himself in the bed and under the blanket, and Isa really didn’t want to jab further at this topic. Putting too much stress on the redhead might actually cause an actual heart attack from sheer underlying panic, and Isa would really prefer to have this stranger around a little longer. However he now knew that the memory was still there, that the amnesia was not permanent. Subconsciously he still remembered everything and reacted to anything related to his past. Maybe it would be best to avoid any stories about Keyblade Masters for the time being.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he door opened. Maybe half an hour? Either way, the broken teacup had been properly taken care of and Axel was sleeping soundly this time. Isa turned around to look at who opened the door. Once more Even entered the room, his formerly furious face now relaxed. Following the man was… Isa turned back around to stare at the sleeping Axel, his heart beating slightly faster than before. With every step the two newcomers made he fell together more and more until they were both standing behind him. Isa was normally not someone to chew on his lips out of anxiety, but right now he did. He expected a long speech on how he and Ienzo had acted irresponsibly, but all he got was a long moment of silence until Even cleared his throat.

“He was quite lively barely two hours ago. What happened?”

Isa took a deep breath. “… He lost his memories, as you know. I accidentally found the reason why – trauma. Whether physical or emotional I don’t know, but he reacted rather strongly to the term “Keyblade Master”. He refused to talk to me for a while and then fell asleep around ten minutes ago. … Maybe it would be best if we didn’t talk about Keyblades too much around him.”

“Hmm.” Ansem merely narrowed his eyes a little. “That erases our option of giving him to Master Eraqus and his students so he stays out of Radiant Garden’s business.”

Isa grumbled a little. He’d only met this group of Keyblade Wielders from the Land of Departure a few times. The impression of these people was more than bad; especially the one Master Terra had left. At least his fellow student named Aqua had been acceptable, but he’d only met her a couple of times before she vanished off the face of the earth. Actually all people who had been remotely acceptable had vanished – Ventus, though quiet and unwilling to speak during the one time Isa had seen him, had vanished long before Aqua. Sora, too, had gotten lost shortly before Aqua. The rest of this band of Keyblade Wielders who watched over the worlds in Light Cycle 105 was… no.

“If I may, I don’t think that would have been adequate anyway. Young Ventus has been gone for the past 10 years or so, Aqua and Sora for a rather long time as well. I’m rather positive Masters Eraqus and Terra are not willing to take in another Wielder of the Keyblade who will most likely vanish as well.”

Ansem and Even shrugged. Then the lord of the castle turned to look at Isa with his stern amber eyes. “Does the young man remember his name, then?”

“No, I’m afraid not. He has, however, finally formally agreed to being called ‘Axel’ for now.”

The older men left it at that.

 -

_“… So you want me to chase after the remains of…”_

_“You heard me. Your eyes might be the best, but your ears certainly aren’t. Go after them. Force them into submission, bring them back here or kill them all, do whatever the hell you want with them. But make sure these deserters cease running around the worlds freely and without a care, or worse, so they can warn the watchers of the Light Cycles. Now out, rodent! Go!”_

_He took a bow and hurried out again, trying not to grind his teeth. It was one of his worst habits, anyway. He walked as quickly as he could without his steps sounding like he was running away. After a short while other steps joined in, neither of them slowing down as they walked across the barren stretch of land._

_“So, were your predictions right, then? Did he send you after—“_

_“Yes. I am not to gather the mine and take off as soon as possible. On my own.”_

_“… Are your orders to kill?”_

_“I suppose. I mean, I could try to drag them back here one by one, but… It’s either killing them out there as fast and painlessly as I can, or feed them to Right Hand.” He shuddered. “I may be a monster, but I’m not monster enough to do that. I’m pretty sure not even this cold heart of mine could live with that kind of crime.”_

_“… At the end of the day, we all aren’t Nobodies, huh.”_

_“I’m afraid so. And you saw what their hearts made them do, these fools. They used to have the most Ringmembers, until they were almost reduced to norm. Then five or so of them died trying to get out of here, somewhere between the fangs of the dog that is Ring 2. Meaning there’s at least nine of them remaining. Maybe less – who knows what happened to them after they fell and drifted away through the nothingness.”_

_The taller one groaned and drew a hand through his hair. “They were among the sturdiest… Survival was their Ring’s ability, wasn’t it…”_

_“… Honestly, that’s what’s giving me the creeps. They were supposed to be the best at it, and now they’re only nine runaways. … Though. Lu. Did you pack of fools help them?”_

_The apparently older let out a snort. “You think I want to die sooner than I already will? No thank you, 1-1. I’m not rallying any kinds of forces directly from the Rings other than mine. 0-0 would catch wind of that and it would be off with my head, y’know. There might have been some others who worked with them, though. You sure it wasn’t one of your underlings?”_

_“Don’t call them my underlings. Ring 1 may follow my direct orders, but they are not slaves to me. They might also follow the big man’s orders, now that I’m sent off, but otherwise they would not dare to act peculiar. We are much too closely watched for that kind of silly act. …. He’s way too pissed off to think about a wider spread rebellion or anything like that, anyway. Guess Ring 8 pulling this stunt really ruffled his feathers since he couldn’t have predicted it. And that… just stay out of that den of snakes for now, Lumaria.”_

_Lumaria snorted again, throwing his hands up in the air. “Aye aye, Captain. What kind of baffles me is that he sent you after them all on your own. Why just you?”_

_1-1 rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Who knows. I’ve not done anything, and neither has my Ring, yet I feel as if he’s trying to punish me for something. Either that or Right Hand suggested it.”_

_A long pause. Eventually 1-1 stopped in his tracks, turning around to face the taller person. “Can you do me a favour?”_

_“What’s up?”_

_“Keep a close eye on Ring 11 for me. Keep him safe from… anything like that. Keep him safe in general. Since I’m not around to keep an eye on him.”_

_“Will do. Anything else?”_

_A sudden gust whirled up some sand and both shielded their eyes. Straightening his cape after the wind settled down again, 1-1 turned around. “Don’t do anything stupid.”_

 -

After two days Isa realised two things: One, Axel was literally the most exhausting person he had ever had the displeasure of knowing. Two, he really liked to complain about even the silliest and most insignificant things. He woke up in the morning and his first words were complaints about the room (“Too small! Too dim!”), then about breakfast (“Tastes like old fart, ya tryin’ t’kill me?”), then Isa (“Yer creepin’ me out, man, back off.”), and it went on and on and on. Two days, and Isa had enough of this. The corners of his lips constantly twitched in irritation when Axel started complaining again about something absolutely irrelevant. It might have been the colour of the curtains. Isa didn’t know.

“You _unthankful_ …”

“See,” Axel raised his hands, “yer life would be perfectly quiet again if ya let me go.”

“That is… unfortunately… completely out of… the question.” Isa had actually been given specific orders to not let Axel out of his sight.

“No need t’growl at me like yer a trained dog on a leash. I’ll be quiet. Perfectly silent. Not a sound escapin’ me.”

Axel said that and did the absolute opposite. Isa groaned in sheer frustration and tried to block the sound out. For a moment the thought of knocking him out with his claymore arose, but Isa wasn’t feeling well enough to summon the weapon through magic, and it was at the other end of the castle anyway. Furthermore he would prove too slow to take the chattering fool down, anyway – Axel reacted faster to anything that might prove dangerous to his life than anyone else Isa had ever seen. Basically, there was no chance to shut the redhead up. Unless Isa decided to knock himself out.

Which was slowly turning into something he wanted to do.

He had been so frustrated that Isa hadn’t realised that the redhead had shut his mouth and stared out of the window. Following the other’s example and looking out into the city, onto the colourful plazas and beautiful flower gardens. Despite the small uproar two days ago, Radiant Garden seemed to have returned to normal, with the whole city bursting with life and people walking through the streets and gardens, enjoying a simple and peaceful life in one of the most uncorrupted worlds of light in the whole multitude of worlds around them. Though now the golden light turned slowly orange. Sunset.

“… Radiant Garden looks breathtaking from these windows, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. Sorta. It’s… weird. It looks so… distant?”

“Your face would probably look the same if you stood at the window and someone looked at you. Distant. Locked in – or out. After some time you’ll start to realise the walls are choking you.”

Axel looked at Isa, many unasked questions burning in his gaze. Most of all his own curiosity got the better of him. Isa’s voice had sounded tired for someone that young. It sounded more like an old man’s voice who was breathing his last after a long period of sickness; it didn’t fit this healthy face of someone like Isa. If his head hurt less in that moment, Axel would have asked what exactly the blue-haired had meant with that, but he decided it would be best to remain silent. He turned his eyes back to the window and stared out for a couple of minutes. Almost unwillingly he let out a sigh and caught Isa’s attention again.

“What’s the matter _now_?”

“I’ve never seen such a nice sunset. … Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen a sunset in the past… ten years… or so.”

Isa raised an eyebrow. “Are you finally starting to remember something?”

“… Nah. Don’t know why I said that.”

Isa turned back around to look out the window, and Axel was rather glad the blue-haired let that lie slide. Something about this sunset made Axel feel rather strange. Dethatched from his own body, actually. Maybe it was some sort of memory bubbling up underneath the still and unknowing surface, but he swallowed it down again.

He didn’t need a stomach ache on top of his raging headache.


	4. Broken Links

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... This was. Hard to rewrite, which is why it took a long time, stress irl aside. In the original version of the fic there's no mention of the tree and what it represents, the entire garden they're in looks different than it's described here. I have a plan for it to link into the future chapters, though :o
> 
> Anyway, yay, vanitaslaughing finally got around to move her sorry butt to upload this, I've been up for ages and just whined about memes and such. Oops.
> 
> (fun fact: the rewrite is almost 5k words longer than the original now, which is kinda impressive to me)

“Keyblade Master” – I don’t want to think about this. Not the slightest. Thankfully they refrained from explaining me what a person called a ‘Keyblade Master’ does after I reacted like that. I don’t know why I did, honestly. Something about this term makes my entire body shake, my head freeze and my blood boil. Why? I can’t remember.

-

“Radiant Garden” – The world I’m in, along with the other people of this castle. What does the world’s name mean, though? There’s gardens, but I’ve not yet seen anything radiant. It seems like a normal world, with normal inhabitants… so why the ‘Radiant’, then? I don’t want to ask for that information. I don’t want to be even more a nuisance than I already am.

-

“Isa” – I found out he’s been appointed my keeper. We get along, somehow, though in nine out of ten cases he looks positively pissed off. It’s pretty fun to pick on him, though. … Apparently he’s being kept locked in just like me; and he’s keeping me on a short leash as well. It’s been two weeks since I came to be in this world, and it’s only been a week since he started giving me permission to walk around the castle halls as long as he’s my shadow. His best (or only?) friend in this place seems to be this other youth. What’s his name? Ines? Either way, they seem to be some sort of partners in crime.

-

“Ansem” – Stern old guy with creepy golden eyes. Something about that colour in particular makes me want to get up and commit a murder. … Maybe that’s the reason Isa won’t let me walk around on my own?

-

_Finding the first one had been… not as hard as anticipated. She had never quite been the best at survival in the wild, but she blended in perfectly with crowds. Why she didn’t choose a populated world over one of lush forests was beyond him, but Vanitas was not one to complain. He didn’t know her name, didn’t think her face was especially outstanding, and she was a decent healer. That was all Intel he had on her – Ring 8 was not his to take care of. He was the Ringleader or Ring 1, not Ring 8._

_He even considered letting her go when she begged him to do so. It was just so pathetic he kind of cringed. She was not even 16, with wide brown eyes that were thankfully closed now that she was pinned to some tree with a binding spell. Bright green hair that was tied to a loose ponytail, and a name that still escaped his memory._

_Sparing her would have been right, but it was not within the possible anymore now that he had found her. Either she died, or Vanitas would have to face punishment for having failed a specifically assigned task. Actually, his entire Ring would have to suffer the consequences of having a failure for a Ringleader, and what made this even worse was that the involved people wouldn’t stop there._

_He grimaced (she didn’t see it; he wore his helmet, which gave him the appearance of the cold and heartless Ringleader of Ring 1, to conceal his face) after going through all possibilities. Walking over the bodies of Ring 8 seemed slightly less bad than what would await him if he failed._

_Unlike Right Hand however Vanitas despised nothing more than making victims suffer. Barking at her to hand over her Keyblade he made sure it was over before she even realised what was going to happen next._

_The dull, lifeless thud of a body hitting the ground echoed oddly in this forest._

_Once more he hesitated before dismissing his own Keyblade and turning the girl’s around in his hand. He’d been given the order to check the Keychains attached to the blades for a certain one. This one was made of seashells – not what he was looking for._

_Now, normally someone who had just murdered this still Key’s owner would have tossed the weapon away. What Vanitas was holding, however, were the remains of her heart, albeit now dead and dull as herself. He pulled the mask concealing his face off and turned the weapon around some more. It was light, almost fragile. … How fitting._

_Once more grinding his teeth he was uncertain what to do next. He couldn’t just leave a body here like this. Not with that Keyblade lying around. He didn’t know if this world was not inhabited, and if it was, how Keyblade Wielders were treated here. Taking her body and Keyblade back seemed unfitting as she had wanted to escape that place, and he wasn’t supposed to return ‘home’ until he was done._

_Burying her it was, then._

_Once more grimacing he started digging._

_“Keep it together, Vanitas. You have one goal, and you’ve agreed to sell your soul for it. You did that eons ago. Just this one thing that is worth more than even your soul to you. Keep it together. Just this one thing. One thing. That’s all you want to keep safe and sacred and holy. C’mon.”_

_Once he was done and stabbed the Keyblade into the turned soil he wished he knew her name. He actually felt like apologising for seeing nothing more than a stepping stone towards his goal in her, in a person stuck in the same hell as him._

_He put on his mask again._

_This was going to be a long mission._

_-_

“His… reflexes are… e-exactly as we predicted…. Huff…”

Ienzo merely tapped his pen against his chin. “Equally fast as they are powerful, effective, and aggressive. Furthermore he appears to have a knack for fire-based magic. No other magic seems to have been trained, though. He completely lacks all knowledge for even basic healing as well. Anything other than absolute barebones healing, gravity-based or darkness-based seems to be lacking, but capable of being pulled off, really. It’s… fascinating. I don’t think they teach advanced specialisation like that to other Keyblade Wielders… At least none of the Cycles and schools and even rogues I know of do that…”

Isa stood back up straight and took a deep breath. The warm summer sun stood high in the sky and sent a few radiant rays dappling through the small Cycle Garden’s large and only tree. The Cycle Garden was nothing more than a very small garden they all used for training and such, as the tree in there was Undying. Undying plants (or even people, light forbid it), were plants that had been broken out of the Time Cycle, in other words temporally stunted living beings that had been dragged through a lot of worlds with a largely differing time axis compared to each other. Eventually growth almost stopped entirely for these living beings, making them effectively immortal as a year in their life was an equal to several millennia according to the Radiant Garden time axis. Nobody, not even Ansem, knew how long this tree had been standing here, or how many foolish Castle Students had abused it for magical or physical training.

Isa hated admitting that, but Axel was proving to be about as impressive as the tree of unknown age behind him. Not once in his life had he seen or even heard about a human reacting as fast as Axel did – it was almost inhumane. Whatever kind of training Axel had gone through had effectively turned him into more machine than human in battle situations. He was fast, thought faster than he moved and could predict moves in order to almost perfectly dodge them. Were it not for that fear for his life glinting in his eyes every time he moved, Isa would have assumed he actually was a machine.

Altogether, Axel had proven to be a lot of trouble in total. Collateral damage to his memory aside, he was rather hard to predict and hard to keep track off once the injuries had started healing. Once he’d almost jumped at Ansem the Wise entering the room they had been in. There had been no reason for this, the man had knocked and asked for permission to come in, but all of a sudden Axel had reeled up and stood perfectly straight, his eyes fixed on the man’s face – it had taken Isa a minute or two to calm the redhead down enough to not summon his weapon and attack Ansem with it. When Isa asked about that episode later on, Axel couldn’t remember.

Another rather peculiar thing about Axel was one of the wounds he’d come with. At first it had looked like a nasty scratch on his jawline. Then, when it had started to look more like a bruise under the treatment of several healing spells and even potions, it had suddenly opened up again and started bleeding. There hadn’t been a reason for that, and everyone else had been puzzled by it until Isa decided it would be best to keep it under a  magically enhanced band aid.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the Keyblade being dismissed in something that looked like a flash of flame, and the weapon’s owner took a look around the garden. The Cycle Garden was actually so small and in the centre of the castle that only muffled sounds from the city made their way in. It sounded muffled, far-off, and the wind did not blow in here. Everything was caught in perfect suspension – almost like the tree standing here itself.

The sound of a pen clicking broke the almost perfect silence. “… Say, Axel.” Ienzo wasn’t even looking up from his notes. “Do you recall what your Keyblade is called? Normally they’re given different names according to whichever modifications are made to it, and yours are… interesting.”

“Well,” Axel’s laugh was dry, and Ienzo finally looked up. “There’s this interestin’ fact ‘bout my condition.”

Isa had to try not to burst into laughter – Axel only used that tone of voice when he was about to make fun of someone or something, and Ienzo didn’t even see it coming. Yet.

The redhead waved an arm through the air to make his pregnant pause seem more important. “Amnesia’s a fickle beast, ain’t it. Y’see, memory loss’s kinda. Difficult to deal with. Can’t remember a darn thing. But, don’t go askin’ me. I wouldn’t know.”

As unpredictable as his actions were, his words were actually easily predicted, Isa came to realise in these two weeks. The man spoke his honest mind, often acted out of emotion rather than with reason and a cool head behind it. Since emotion appeared on his face as soon as he felt it, and Isa had learned how to read his gesture and face like an open book, it made conversation with him easier. The blue-haired had to wipe a smug grin off his face when Ienzo moved.

Actually, the younger merely snorted and crossed his arms. Axel’s attitude seemed to rub the mage the wrong way. It was almost the same as with Even, but it wasn’t that much of a surprise once one thought about that – Even had taught Ienzo all he knew, had supervised the orphan’s training and even learning ever since Ienzo had been around eight. Of course something of his guardian must have rubbed off on him; just too bad it had to be the prickly side of Even.

“There has got to be a way to figure out the name of that Keyblade though…”

Maybe it was time to step in before Axel could irritate Ienzo any further, and thus Isa stepped forward, raising his voice a little. “I don’t quite think so, Ienzo. Many a Keyblade are named after something important to the person, and we cannot interpret him well enough yet to suggest something. If you ask for my opinion, this Keyblade could be called ‘Eat my Ass’ for all we know.”

Axel laughed, and Ienzo turned a rather ugly shade of purple – he hated nothing more than being made fun of, even the slightest bit, which made making fun of him even more enjoyable. Isa and Ienzo ended up having one of their stare-offs, whereas the amnesiac turned around to look at the tree behind him.

“Weird plant.”

The blue-haired raised an eyebrow at the stranger, but he went on staring at the tree as if this was the first time he’d seen a tree in his life. Eventually Ienzo gently touched Isa’s arm to catch his attention.

“Can you come with me for just a moment, Isa?”

“What? Why?”

“Just… just come with me. You’ll hear why in a moment. Axel, could you… err, continue staring at the tree until we’re back? We’re just behind that door.”

The redhead merely shrugged, sitting down in front of the tree and whistling a little. His fascination with this tree was almost off-putting. Ienzo used that movement to grab Isa by the shoulders and force the other out of the small garden and into the hallway he’d mentioned the Axel earlier. Instead of merely staying there he walked around a little, seemingly checking for Ansem, Even, Dilan or Aeleus. Those four were the most commonly seen castle staff, not counting the other caretakers of places such as the gardens and bedchambers. Actually, the only ones Isa ever interacted with other than the major four had been the kitchen staff. A minute or two passed, and Ienzo finally sighed before turning around to face Isa.

“I’ve been thinking. Don’t you consider it rather odd that someone with a Keyblade appears right in this very moment? Additionally without memories, and easily upset by any sort of sliver of what his past may have been like. And most odd of them all… Isa, have you seen his jawline?”

“… Those scratches, right? I thought they were just barely healing injuries from slamming face first into something…”

“Wrong, actually. I looked into it a little and… Well. Those scratches each carries a link. They’re actually called ‘Link Wounds’, and there’s several scratched into his jawline. But… why several? In some worlds it’s common for people who get married to share these wounds, as a sign of their close bond. These things sting and hurt like hell when inflicted onto someone; people even went mad from that pain and the realisation what this link means.”

“And what does it mean, Ienzo?”

“You’ve seen for yourself. It started bleeding again. It took you a day to calm him down enough to sleep, even though he had no idea what was happening.” Ienzo shook his head, and Isa realised that the next couple of words were not going to be relieving news. “The bleeding means that the person linked has died.”

Isa remained silent for a long moment before breathing in. “There’s roughly 20 scratches on his face like that. Seven seemed scarred over and faint, barely stood out actually. Are you really suggesting he’s been linked to 20 people? That’s absurd. Ridiculous, even.”

“Which means… 13 weren’t scarred over and faint?”

Isa rolled his eyes. “Yeah. The fifth from the left started bleeding.”

“Number five, eh… There’s got to be a meaning behind this. Not even a madman would be deranged enough to voluntarily and willingly let that many Link Wounds happen to them. He might be a criminal and those are his partners for all we know. An assassin, which would be likely according to his physical shape, would have to be executed right on spot for disrupting world peace, you know.”

The blue-haired shook his head. Of course Ienzo was just trying to make sense, but all of this seemed so absurd that Isa almost laughed about it. Of course it was Ienzo’s honest opinion and fear on this, but it seemed be randomly picked. And whatever point he had, all of that became obsolete when one took Axel’s memory loss into account. He made no signs of recovery – which left only one conclusion to be drawn.

“He’s not an assassin. He’s been definitely trained to be a scarily effective Keyblade Wielder, yes. But aren’t all Keyblade Wielders trained to be kind of like that? We both know the ones from the Land of Departure. You actually know them better than I do, Ienzo. You’ve met the King several times as well. All of these people are scarily effective, just like our amnesiac friend here. They’re talented, all-in-all trained. They could be deadly if they needed to be, just like Axel. There’s nothing odd about being skilled with a weapon of your own choosing – you’re literally the best mage I’ve ever seen. Nobody’s ever asked questions how you are able to charge up your potential so much you can literally use your power to create illusions, your entire talent for creating those and using them in battle without being absolutely exhausted after using them for five minutes. Or the fact that my weapon’s heavier than anything Aeleus feels like carrying around. Just having a weapon or a peculiar set of skills doesn’t make you deadly, or an assassin. It’s how you use your powers that decides whether your actions are good or bad. Hell, Ienzo, if you wanted, you could kill people with a spoon if you trained how to for a while. If you fear being attacked by Axel, maybe you’d be best off remembering that we saved his life. He has no reason to attack either of us, not even reason enough to attack Even or Ansem.”

“… I’m not so sure about Ansem.”

“True. But he held back. Maybe there’s someone in his past who looks like Ansem and Axel’s just got the urge to attack him for something. But he’s civilised enough to not attack the Master.”

Ienzo didn’t say anything and tapped his chin again; Isa merely rolled his eyes. He had expected a rather passionate comeback about how Axel was a danger. It was easy enough to jump to conclusions like that around strangers who seemed a little bit off. Just being trained, however, didn’t make someone automatically a danger. At least he got that much into Ienzo’s sometimes horribly thick head.

“… That doesn’t explain the Link Wounds.”

Isa shrugged. “Maybe he’s part of a team of sorts, or has an extensive family who’s more tightly knit together than anything else in the worlds and beyond. Maybe that’s their way of staying in touch, kind of.” Silence spread once more before a thought crossed Isa’s mind. “… Well, actually. About why Axel looks like he might attack the Master at some point. The Master’s been tinkering around with darkness a lot. Y’know, yellow eyes and all. Those are generally not good signs, and maybe Axel knew someone like that. And the yellow eyes are just a painful reminder of something relating to that.”

Before Ienzo could reply to that hypothesis, a sudden bang on the door made both young men jump. Someone was pounding on the door.

 -

_They were getting restless, uneasy, even though they lacked the links to know what was going on. They were also possibly getting more cautious from the feeling something was happening alone._

_At least that’s what it looked like after he managed to find the next one. How they managed to have this kind of feeling was beyond him, and Vanitas groaned._

_His head was pounding inside his helmet, a gross but familiar feeling of being torn apart slowly but steadily. He’d passed too many worlds in too little time – something that was generally punished with either death or something worse than immortality. Keyblade Wielders were not supposed to liberally change worlds like that, with no protection from the Realm Between whatsoever. The constantly changing flow of time was just another thing constantly making his head throb worse than before._

_The one he’d found was rather good at hiding in his environment. Or at least he certainly knew how to escape the dizzy Ringleader’s eyes. Wherever the guy was, he was out of Vanitas’ immediate reach, and it was starting to tick the black-haired off immensely._

_Ring 8 had been trained in keeping themselves alive, after all._

_Ring 1 had been trained to be destructive with no regrets._

_Survival meant… that these people were able to heal themselves sufficiently, fire magic attacks from being hidden spots, and how to, well, literally survive in the wilderness with as little as possible. It also included covering their tracks. As usual, the Ringleader was the most outstanding of these. Even the… servants? Slaves? Whatever Ring 0 was supposed to be, even the head of these people was the most outstanding at what they did. Nobody but Vanitas and the Ring itself knew what 0-0’s face looked like. He’d never really talked to the man, only heard Lu and the rest mutter about the man they just called “Murderer”. A rather… scary title, considering he’d only heard the man talk with a calm and amused sing-song tone of voice. The more general title this man was given was “Left Hand”._

_Neither was a good name to walk around with, in Vanitas’ opinion at least._

_He reached to scratch his face in frustration, but the stupid mask was in his way. Silently he cursed that thing, but taking it off wasn’t really a good thing to do. He’d rather not have these people walk into these cold yellow eyes he’d gotten over the course of the years._

_… Back to the topic on hand, where had that member of Ring 8 vanished off to?_

_The masked Ringleader turned around and scanned the entire area with his eyes – nothing seemed too unusual to his rather sharp eyes, and he sighed in frustration. If he weren’t already Right Hand he’d have had some silly codename like “Eagle’s Eyes” or something. Every Ringleader had one of these names. He shook his head and ripped off the mask, once more scanning the area for something he missed through the visor._

_Eventually he got what he’d been waiting for, a soft rustle and leaves moving around somewhere not too far away from him. A jungle was a stupid place to hide in._

_Vanitas slapped the mask back on and bolted forwards, his weapon drawing an arc through the air as it cut through leaves, then finally clothes and skin and bone._

_He hated this job. He really, truly did._

_But… it was necessary. To keep the both of them safe._

 -

The banging, naturally, turned out to be Axel. Blood was dripping down his chin and he seemed in a daze, talking in a hushed mutter about something that was extremely hard to make out. Golden eyes were mentioned, Ienzo and Isa were able to make out, and something more about Keyblades, as well as something that vaguely sounded like a name of a person or an object.

“Vain?”

“Might have been Vaseline. There definitely was an S in it, Ienzo.”

“Why the hell would he be talking—“

Before Ienzo could finish talking, Axel crumpled to the floor like someone just cut his strings. They looked at each other, then at the man on the ground before them.

“… Just great. Isa, you’re the stronger one here, could you…?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Hold on.”

As Isa tried to figure out how to pick up Axel properly, Ienzo looked up at the tree and clicked his tongue. “I forgot we’re close to rain season. C’mon, Isa, let’s get him inside before that thunderstorm finishes brewing up. You don’t want to be outside in that.”

 -

_Only a Ringleader had the mark, the link. They did, however, know whenever something happened to one of theirs._

_Breathing as little as possible, the two of them huddled closer together. There was no way of telling who just died, though, there was no way of finding out who did it either. The most logical conclusion was that someone sent another person after their remains, and the people generally doing that dirty work were Right Hand and Left Hand. Just this very fact was enough to freak the both of them out. Two blue eyes that glowed dimly in their dark corner squeezed shut, and one let out a reassuring whisper. The storm raging outside was barely noticeable in here, but it definitely kept them hidden, and he reached out to brush hair out of her face._

_It had been only around two weeks. Two weeks since they ended up tumbling into the Lanes Between, two weeks since they had all lost contact and the Ringleader was most likely dead by now. He had never been a guy with a lot of good luck, so it seemed just the most logical conclusion to announce him dead – whether he drifted through the Lanes for all eternity or ended up killed by whomever was being sent after them, it mattered little. Maybe, if his luck had actually worked for once, he might have lost his heart. This generally meant that he was now split in half, and they just needed to find his Heartless and Nobody to recomplete him. Though, a Nobody was easy to find and easy to manipulate, since it didn’t act on instinct like the Heartless did. This would prove more troublesome than accepting he was dead._

_Once they’d believed they were Nobodies, too, but their Ringmates’ bodies never vanished into whatever element they were apparently made from. They were all human, oh so very human, that it almost hurt._

_Their hearts were beating faster than usual as they watched the storm rage on outside._

_In a different place another one awoke, jerked up after yet another nightmare involving the fact his world was long gone thanks to the cycle of light and darkness. He turned his head to the ashen sun of this world. As usual it was covered by lifelessly dull yellow clouds that never moved. Despite the paleness of this sun it was scorching hot, the clouds did not hold back even the slightest amount of sheer heat. Had he not found a little cave with water dribbling from the ceiling he’d have died of dehydration already, and he was grateful that was not the case._

_He was alone – all on his own. Kind of funny, considering he had never really been or felt truly alone in his life before. Back in the world of his birth it had been family and friends that kept him company; after the darkness swallowed most of that he had the Masters to take care of him; and even after those vanished from his grasp the Ring as a whole had kept him on his feet. Ring 8 was part of his family by now, and he looked at the number emblazoned on his glove. He was proud, but also afraid._

_They were dying, slowly but steadily. Two had already fallen out here. Another five had died back when they were escaping. They were only seven instead of the usual thirteen, and it was a horrifying thought. He was merely waiting to be picked off by whomever was being sent after them…_

_Actually, they might just be six. Who knew whether their Ringleader had survived drifting as far away as he did._

 -

The moment he opened his eyes, a bright white flash blinded him yet again. Axel let out a yelp and covered his eyes. His sight was swimming, and the thundering outside was echoing somewhere inside his skull, which made the throbbing headache even worse. A few minutes passed before Axel heard a sound other than rain slamming against the window, and he looked around. It sounded like someone was whimpering.

After a couple of seconds he found the source of the strange noise, somewhere in a dark corner as far away from the window as possible. Jammed between the wall and a huge statue ornament of sorts was Isa, covering his face with his hands and making this peculiarly pathetic noise. Axel looked at his self-announced watcher with worried curiosity for a moment – it seemed too random that Isa, of all people, would be so completely shaken by something as simple as a thunderstorm. There had to be a story behind this, and for a moment Axel considered asking. He decided not to and got up slowly. His steps were uneasy and he almost fell several times, but eventually he was able to sit down in front of Isa. 20 minutes passed with neither of them moving much or saying anything aside from the occasional yelp and whimper from Isa as the young man seemed to be shrinking away from the storm outside.

Axel was almost dozing off when suddenly the faintest whisper made him open his eyes again. “Lea.”

… Whose name was that? There wasn’t anyone of that name in the castle, and according to everyone else Isa had not left this castle in quite some time. The redhead raised one of his arms and gently put a hand on Isa’s shoulder, causing the other to look up. His eyes were glazed over in fear and he seemed to be looking straight past Axel. Another moment of silence spread before Isa finally made a move of his own – he let himself fall forwards and just wrapped his arms around Axel. He had just buried his face in whatever fabric he found, and started shaking.

The blue-haired was scared to death. The realisation struck Axel so suddenly that he couldn’t help but put a hand on the other’s head and ruffle his hair a little.

Time slowly ticked by as the storm went on and on, but at some point Isa started to calm down. So, maybe, the redhead thought, now would be a good time to ask what this was all about, but a barely audible whisper held him back-

“… Like him… you’re just… like him… But… but… he’s dead… he’s dead and it’s… my fault…”

“……… ‘Lea’, you mean?” Axel whispered back and Isa just howled as another flash of lightning lit up the room. He didn’t want to pry further and just went back to silently patting the other’s back.

They spent the night like that, eventually dozing off as the storm finally calmed down. Isa never quite stopped shaking, though.


	5. Hollow Names

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'm really busy and barely have time to work on this" she says  
> "I accidentally finished this entire chapter in one night and its 3k words longer than the original" she says the next day
> 
> lies down slowly  
> away boys, the trash awaits its queen

“Isa” – My self-appointed leader with his rather striking facial scar and quiet voice. His character is about as icy as his name suggests, but that’s only for about 50% of the time. The other half he’s unpredictable, goes from crushingly upset to smug bastard. I’ve not yet seen him be openly afraid of anything other than the storm the other night. Apparently something rather traumatic happened to him in a night where a thunderstorm was going on, and I was told to not pry further. The only thing I got out of the others was that this “Lea” person is related to why Isa can’t take thunderstorms in the night, he’s blaming himself for this guy’s death. Kinda odd.

 -

“Lea” – He used to be Isa’s friend, apparently. He’s also been dead for a long time. That’s all information I got on him from the other castle inhabitants, and Isa seems unwilling to talk about what happened that night – and the other night, actually.

 -

“?” – I… might have called that name out when I collapsed, according to Ienzo and Isa. I only overheard them discussing it briefly before I blacked out completely. Vanity? Vaseline? Variety? Considering all their suggestions started with the letters V and A, I’m guessing that word actually does start that way. All I know is… actually, I don’t want to think about that. I just see a sudden flash of gold, and…

 -

“Golden Eyes” – If there’s one thing I like less than the term “Keyblade Master”, it’s these. Ansem the Wise has them, just like the person I somehow almost remembered does. The longer I look at Ansem, the more nervous I get though…

 -

“Radiant Garden” – A world stuck in perpetual spring, and the world I currently am in. It’s a beautifully lush place with gardens and lakes and fountains and a lot of people living in the capital called Radiant City. Actually, the “Garden” part of the name might come from all the different and off plants there are in this world. There’s a lot of flowers I’ve never seen before…

 

“Ienzo” - … Actually, I thought this name was pronounced “Ignorance” the other day. He almost bit my head off. Jeesh, kid, no need to get all aggressive…

 -

“Undying” – Plants, or more rarely, people who have been exposed to ridiculous amounts of different time flows in as little internal time as possible. Basically, imagine a baby bunny being thrown into a lot of differently affected places. It’s inner clock ticks normal speed, but the other clocks are either faster or slower, and the levels of this difference vary greatly. Eventually the creature’s body stops responding to both inner and outer time flow, effectively becoming almost immortal in the process since time only passes very, very slowly for it now. The castle’s so-called Cycle Garden is built around a tree that’s been thrown through enough times to become Undying. Makes me wonder if that thing has stood there since shortly after the Keyblade War. I’ve been told these ancient trees exist scattered all over the worlds…

 -

Ansem the Wise – Nickname “Master Ansem”. Should’ve taken notice of that when I pounced on him the other day and thought about beating him senseless. Whoops. Apparently he’s Radiant Garden’s leader in charge. Or something.

 -

The day after the thunderstorm had brought more unpleasant news with it. Damage to the Southern Outer Garden was bigger than anticipated, and someone would have to manage fixing this. Thankfully someone else had volunteered for this job, and just when Ansem was ready to not do anything else that day other than think, Axel had appeared around the corner and frozen up. He’d closed the distance between then and taken Ansem down in a swift movement, and had the older man pinned to the floor in mere seconds. Not a single one of the apprentices could have prevented this from happening, and they even had to get Isa to tear the redhead off their master.

Three days had passed since, and Ienzo had been told to gather Isa and Axel into the Master’s study.

The tension in the room was almost thick enough to choke them all, he figured. It was a miracle no one in this room was choking on it already, actually. He didn’t dare breathing louder than usual, afraid to tick off any of the people assembled here.

Isa was pale, as expected after yet another thunderstorm in the last night. His shoulders drooped and his eyes seemed unfocused, but Ienzo knew that he was well-aware of his surroundings. Axel’s green eyes seemed to be sparking, and his whole posture was tense, opposing Isa’s altogether loose posture. Master Ansem himself wore a glare so icy it seemed to rival Even. Actually, it was one of the nastiest looks anyone had ever given to Axel.

Everyone else in the castle was rather fond of him, his unconventional way of talking and the way he saw things so brightly even though he had no memories prior to waking up in Radiant Garden. Even and Ansem however seemed to be less than happy to still have this redheaded nuisance around – actually, Ienzo himself wasn’t, either, but the way this stranger seemed to spark back life into Isa was interesting to watch. Interesting enough to tolerate him, just barely so.

Ienzo held back the urge to shift on his legs, afraid that he would somehow direct Ansem’s and Even’s anger at himself rather than the unusual pair standing in front of the desk. He raised an eyebrow when Axel finally let out a sigh.

“Look, ‘m really sorry. ‘s jus’ somethin’ ‘bout those golden eyes, ya see… I don’t wanna be a bother.” Axel shook his head and looked up, a serious expression on his face. “I’ll leave, if that is what you want. I suppose it’s only right, considering we’ve made no progress with my memory. I just… I apologise.”

The sudden change in speaking pattern aside, something in Ansem’s and Even’s expressions changed. Even actually raised an eyebrow, and Ansem narrowed his eyes. Either something about Axel had made them think over something, or there was a completely different matter on hand that they only just noticed now. Ienzo didn’t quite dare wonder what that could be. Isa and Axel didn’t seem to notice anything odd Axel had said either, judging from their suddenly worried expressions. It might have been the… golden… eyes…?

Just when Ienzo was about to steer his thoughts on the golden eyes issue to recall why this rang a bell, Ansem leaned forwards in his chair and sighed. This movement and sound was enough to break Ienzo’s train of thought and leave him rather confused for a second.

“Considering your current situation and the given circumstances… Your overreaction to stimuli that might spark an actual memory, and the fact you cannot quite understand why this happens… Well, simply put, you are not a bother, nor are you a danger. Your apology is accepted, and you are free to stay as long as you please, but only if you learn how to correct your inacceptable behaviour as well as your speech pattern. You and Isa are both dismissed.”

‘Yikes,’ Ienzo thought.

Isa cringed visibly and turned to shoo Axel out of the room slowly – it wasn’t very often Ansem let out such passive-aggressive words based on someone’s behaviour. In fact, the only creature it had ever been directed at had been a small stray cat that used to visit the castle when Ienzo was younger. Isa had somehow attracted the kitten with his cooking once, and Ansem had generally scolded the cat for its behaviour in that exact tone. Not that Brise (named after the breeze it came with and left with) particularly cared about what Ansem had to say.

… Did that mean that Ansem considered Axel nothing more than another past-time activity of Isa’s? Axel was, by all means, a human being, memories or not, and he was perfectly normal for someone with amnesia as severe as his. Maybe he was a little smug about his memory loss once in a while, and loved blaming it for anything he did, but…

Ienzo watched as Isa shooed Axel out, closing the door behind them. He noted that Axel had grabbed Isa’s arm – not to support himself, but rather Isa – and then closed the door. That wasn’t particularly what bothered him, it was much rather the fact that prickly and stingy Isa just let himself be touched like that – it normally took asking for permission a million times before he permitted it. He stared at the door with a frown on his face; something about that stranger seemed to attract Isa and would cause trouble sooner or later. Gut feeling aside, Ienzo’s thoughts started wandering off again when Even and Ansem remained in a cold silence. He once more traced back to the golden eyes, but drew at a million blanks raising more and more questions.

Ansem’s eyes were a peculiar case, he had not been born with them. Rather, overexposure to darkness during one of his studies had changed them to a certain warm golden orange. Nobody else in Radiant Garden had eyes like these, and he was quite certain there was nobody within this Light Cycle either. The Keyblade Masters at the Land of Departure made sure that nobody had darkness-affected eyes brighter than Ansem’s, since anything brighter in shade than this was considered tainted by darkness. Something was clicking, the gears grinding loudly as he tried to think of a reason. Any other Light Cycle was strict about these rules, unless they weren’t even full Light Cycles but just outposts and splinters; in other words, worlds watched by a single Keyblade Master rather than many.

The answer was right in this information, Ienzo assumed, and narrowed his eyes. What could trouble the stranger in their world so much that he would have most certainly killed Ansem for it?

It clicked so suddenly that Ienzo took in a sharp breath and turned around to his elders.

“I see you’ve finally realised it. I was about to tell you anyway, but… well, saves me the trouble.” Even shook his head.

“Golden eyes, something either those born in worlds affected by darkness have, or something those tainted by darkness get over time.”

Ansem nodded slowly. “Correct. Although, our friend here isn’t completely free of a certain taint of darkness himself.”

Ienzo tilted his head, not daring to ask what the Master meant with these words. Normally they started to explain anyway, and he didn’t particularly fancy making a fool of himself right now.

“It’s obvious that our guest’s eyes were slightly darker once. Not this bright green spark that could start a fire, but rather something much gentler. They weren’t always a forest fire, but rather a deep green forest. Something a lot more easier to read than this blank and furiously bright colour right now. Which means he’s started to embrace part of his darkness, but not all of that. His ears are not pointy, his skin was just tan because of overexposure to sunlight. In fact, he’s gotten a little paler since arriving here and never leaving the castle, if you hadn’t noticed. The question on hand is, how did he come to terms with his own darkness like that? Keyblade Wielders don’t generally do this, and they don’t use it either. Even the slightest brightening in eye colour is considered a taint and makes them unfit to continue wielding the Keyblade. At least those with Keyblades of light have to live by these rules.”

The question was left floating in the room as all three men stared at the door.

 -

_Left Hand was in a foul mood. Which was probably an understatement, considering everyone else sought cover and left Lumaria alone to try to talk some sense into the man. This conversation had been going for almost an hour, and it was just going in circles at this point as well – Lumaria’s patience was running dry. Eventually he reached the sensible, not darkness-driven and berserk part of the man, and earned a hard whack in the face. He stumbled backwards and cursed his bad habit of chewing his lips, he’d once more gotten slapped while doing such, and the lip was bleeding once more. He drew his tongue over the bleeding part of it, and started wondering for a moment. In another life he might have been shocked by this metallic taste, but he’d grown so used to it by now that it didn’t bother him the slightest. In fact it was rather comforting to know that he was still bleeding, it was a reminder he was indeed alive. He watched the man stomp off in less a rage than he had come into, and he hoped that no other members of Ring 0 made their way back into the cave they stayed in right in this moment._

_A few minutes passed before a low whisper rang through the makeshift room some of them had lived in for years._

_“Is he gone?”_

_“Yes, he is. You can come back out, and bring whatever you were doing there with you. Whatever it was, was it really worth almost getting beheaded? Seriously, he could have—“_

_“Beaten me to death for scheming, and you to death for being my accomplice. Don’t think I don’t know that, young lord.”_

_Lumaria crossed his arms and let out a strained sigh. “I told you to drop the formalities already, and that a million times at least. We’re both prisoners here, some sort of slaves, and the fact that I was born into a socially higher position in a broken system than you doesn’t mean a damn thing here.”_

_There was a quick giggle, and the person came out of her rather tiny hiding space. In her arms she held what had apparently given Left Hand enough a reason to come storming in here and start spewing random insults and accusations in a fit of rage._

_He blew a little of his messy hair out of his direct view. Unkempt and full of sand as it was, he’d have been called a disgrace to the family name (again) back at home, but since he was here he cared precious little. At least the lip had stopped bleeding by now, he noted with a little bit of relief. He heard a clatter and watched as his partner pushed herself into his vision and brushed his hair out of his face. This gesture always confused the other members of Ring 0, as getting so close to someone else was considered a romantic gesture in most other worlds. In their homeworld, however, it was just a way to express gratitude and concern, as well as an apology. It depended on the situation, really._

_Maybe if there hadn’t been a Keyblade War, they would have understood this gesture as such, since the worlds as such would have never existed. But the scars that the Keyblade War ran deep, deep enough to have left an entire place to warn future generations of the power this weapon held, and to remind them of the sin they all bore. It even affected those who did not have a weapon like that._

_“Hey, Lu. Thanks for saving my ass, but take a look at this.”_

_He rolled his eyes and followed her to the table, watching as she opened up the object of interest – a map, a rather detailed one at that._

_“A map. Not helpful, Re.”_

_Relena laughed and shoved him. “I know, stupid. Ed shoved it into my hands before leaving to today’s assigned task at Ring 4. Too bad he got stuck with the sour little asshats. Anyway. It’s indeed a map, but look at how detailed it is. And the owner was Left Hand himself.”_

_“Ah. That explains why he barged in here and showered me in insults, comparing me to a thieving little bastard and all.”_

_This time Relena’s laugh was dry. She stood back up straight and crossed her arms; and suddenly Lumaria remembered why he should have better kept his mouth shut. Back at home her low social position had forced her to actually steal, to actually be the thief everyone hated so much. Of course, underneath all of that bitter crust was a loyal core, a better friend he could have never asked for, but her rough exterior made it hard to get along with her. He clicked his tongue and muttered an apology._

_“Anyway, I have no idea where Edmy got this from, and he’s gonna be in trouble later on today, mark my words. … Say, didn’t you promise your friend to keep out of trouble with the Big One until he returned safely? And that you better keep an eye on pretty princess in Ring 11?”_

_Now it was Lumaria’s turn to laugh dryly. “Don’t think I’m slacking off. I’ve got my eye on Ring 11, don’t worry. And the whole ‘keeping him out of trouble’ kind of resolved itself, since Ring 11’s the most ignored of all those unfortunate Rings out there. He’ll be fine as long as we don’t piss off Left Hand too much.”_

 -

It was afternoon, a day after that uncomfortable encounter between Axel and Ansem – Isa was, to say the least, exhausted. It was storm season, a season he feared more than anything else. Back then, when all he ever knew broke into shambles, it had been storm season as well. How Lea had figured out that this one particular storm was different than the thunderstorms was something that Isa would never figure out. The only thing he could do nowadays was curl up and hope it was a short storm, hope nobody found him in that state of constant flashbacks to lightning and yellow eyes. Though, that would be getting progressively harder, now that Axel had seen him in that state. He did not owe the redhead an explanation, but he was starting to feel rather bad for using the other’s presence as reminder that Isa himself was still alive. By now, Isa actually wished to talk about this fact to the redhead, but the man had somehow managed to vanish somewhere. Vanish so well in fact that Isa had turned the entire castle upside down in half a day and found not even the slightest trace of the other. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was starting to get increasingly worried. Something felt wrong without that man boasting everything in his loud and proud, almost cocky tone of voice, earning nothing but giggles from the other castle servants, groans of exasperation from Even, and glares from the entire rest. The way he didn’t sugar-coat things but just outright talked about them. All of those were traits Isa almost admired, since he never felt the need to address matters this rudely. And loudly. Any annoyingly. Without this amnesiac around things felt like before, a choking prison trying to close in on Isa and slowly suffocate him.

But Axel, against everything Isa had hoped, remained lost, gone without a trace, and Isa ended up right where he started. He was out of places to search that he knew weren’t top secret – the likelihood of finding Axel in one of these places was, after yesterday’s encounter, rather unlikely. He liked trouble, but hated causing it.

It worried Isa sick that the redhead was nowhere to be found, and he was willing to admit that out loud by now. He leaned against the door to this room he’d moved in to keep a better eye on Axel as by Ansem’s orders, but the other man was, again, nowhere to be seen. Isa was wrecking his brain trying to think of a place he hadn’t yet searched that Axel knew of, somehow, but his mind kept drawing at blanks. Now that he was taking a break he noticed how out of breath he actually was. 15 years inside the castle walls really made one unable to move around too much without a certain goal in mind; he was barely able to keep up with anyone these days. The people he regularly had contact with before Axel had arrived here had been Ienzo, Even, Ansem, Dilan and Aeleus, and all of these men spend large amounts of time outside doing something. Ienzo usually turned all bookstores in the city upside down or even travelled beyond these borders to look for a certain kind of spellbook, Dilan and Aeleus were guards and patrolled the city every two days, Even just loved annoying other people by following them around and spewing his usual scientific nonsense, and Ansem was constantly doing whatever a renowned scientist and well-known and beloved leader was doing out there. Only Isa had remained within the castle walls, blocked out life as it went on in the city and beyond this world’s borders.

Axel was different than these people, he messed up the daily routine that Isa had been in in the last 15 years. He brimmed with a stupid kind of restless energy that made him talk like a fountain when he thought it was the right time for it, he enjoyed just having a companion even if he was as stoically silent as Isa, and kept on seeing nothing but what he wanted to see. Isa was the exact opposite of that; he was cold and closed off, preferred a book over a human by his side, and never walked around or talked too much. Dilan had even compared them to day and night at some point. A rather fitting comparison, now that Isa thought about it.

He stood back up straight and started to walk around aimlessly. After a few minutes he remembered that the only place he hadn’t checked was Cycle Garden. It seemed like something Axel would to, to spend the day somewhere in the branches of the Undying without telling a single soul. He hurried his steps a little in order to reach this central point of the castle, and opened the door faster than he intended to.

The slamming noise caused a few of the city’s native birds to fly away with loud tweeting, but other than that not a single living being appeared to be in here. Isa closed the door gently and sighed in disappointment.

It was remarkably silent in this small garden, though. Not a single noise from the city was brought in by the winds today, so the only sound that could be heard was Isa’s rather uneven breathing. The air was thick with the remainder of the thunderstorm last night, and the sun seemed to have lost its raw power in fear of another storm coming up. Isa actually appreciated this kind of silence, it soothed his upset nerves after a night like this. With another disappointed sigh he closed his eyes for a moment and leaned against the door.

A few minutes passed like this, in absolute and clear silence, until suddenly there was a rustling sound that made Isa open his eyes again. Not too far away from him, Axel somehow stumbled over a plant and almost fell flat on his face. Where had he come from? There would have been the sound of one of the other three doors to this garden being opened, and one of them would have been open now, but no such thing was there. Axel turned around, looking strangely lost and confused.

Isa straightened up and raised an eyebrow, only to realise that the redhead was holding his Keyblade. Once Axel seemed to realise that this was Isa standing there and not Even or someone else altogether, he lowered his Keyblade slowly.

“… Oh.”

They looked at each other for a moment, Isa realising that Axel had somehow managed to tear the bandage off his jawline. There was a little blood rolling down mentioned jaw, and Isa merely clicked his tongue. Axel shook his head in confusion, his eyes kind of unfocused – disturbed, even – and his entire expression was blank. He carried a certain air of disturbance around him, and his expression told of the same feeling. To be honest, it was confusing Isa as well.

“… Did you… use your Keyblade to leave Radiant Garden, Axel?”

“… I… I did. I didn’t… exactly _mean to_ , it just kind of… _happened_ , y’know… like… like there was someone calling for my help, and I just… reacted mechanically, and there was… there was just… so much blood… and no murderer in sight… I…”

Axel shook his head and Isa closed his eyes with a sigh. He envied that ability so much right now he couldn’t even explain it. Maybe Axel sensed that kind of envy, but a moment later Isa felt a hand on his shoulder and heart a loud noise. Something seemed to pull on him, and a moment later he felt like he was going to be frozen into this posture for the rest of his life. As suddenly as that sensation arose it vanished again, and Isa shook his head, opening his eyes.

“What were you—“ He stopped mid-word and looked around.

This wasn’t Radiant Garden’s Cycle Garden.

It was a place that seemed to lack all colours other than different shades of lifeless grey, and were it not for that overwhelming stench of blood he was quite certain it would have smelled like rocks. Between cracks and lines in the grey surface strange plants stuck out, their colours once more grey with a little  speck of colour in the middle of it. They swayed in the light breeze, seemingly laughing at what remained of whomever had apparently called for Axel’s help. There wasn’t much left of that person, just a strange blob sizzling with pure dark energy. No body, no bones, nothing but this strange leftover, and Isa’s stomach reeled at the sight of it. He turned away and squeezed his eyes shut, barely even registering Axel’s slightly terrified voice.

“I… I know this person… knew this person, Isa… I can’t remember their face… or their name… but I knew them, somehow… and they’re dead. They’re dead, and I feel nothing when I should be terrified. I… I don’t understand.”

Isa shook his head and turned his head back to the man without memories. He truly looked shaken, but his voice was apathetic, toneless.

“It’s… Well, that’s… okay, I guess… Sometimes we can’t explain what we’re feeling when something terrible happens… Let’s… let’s go back to Radiant Garden… before whatever caused this comes back for more…”

 -

_He screamed and collapsed against the rock behind him. He wished this place would turn out to be one of these worlds where everything lived, and that this creature would tear him into tiny pieces. Of course no such thing happened, and he was left alone with that violent pain trying to tear his body apart from the inside._

_It had taken him years to calm down, to manage to just silently swallow the darkness he’d been put through, but this wall was cracking again due to the stress on his body. The times were changing too fast, he was trying to get the job done quickly enough to not feel too much remorse about it. This all came back with a revenge, the all-too familiar pain wrecking him inside out and clawing at his heart. His head felt like it was going to burst, like all times at once seemed to pass through him. With a rather pathetic whimper he tore off the mask and stared into the clear starry sky of the world he’d gone to now._

_He wasn’t supposed to look like he was 17, his entire body wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was older, much older, and all of a sudden every cell seemed to remember this fact. He curled up and howled out in pain, begging whatever gods watched over this world to end his pain and return him to the numb state that all so-called Undying ended up in again. They weren’t supposed to constantly change worlds once they achieved the state of Undying – they were supposed to stay in the same place, to watch over it as their time just very slowly ticked by. That was what he had learned from books he’d managed to steal over the years, but of course this was not going to happen to him, ever._

_Once the pain started getting less intense he summoned his Keyblade to his hands. This cursed weapon was the reason for his state, for all things that went wrong with his life. Of course, there was just the faintest memory of a foggy morning attached to it, a morning spent together with a tall man with a soothing voice and the most intense cyan eyes he’d ever seen in his life, a memory he’d wished would already fade away. It was painful to remember this, to remember the very person who’d been family and his teacher before everything went to break apart around him._

_He tossed the weapon down into the gorge behind the rock he was leaning against, but just a heartbeat later the weapon reappeared in his hands. He never deserved this weapon, and now it wouldn’t leave him alone, a bitter phantom of times that had long since passed. Looking at it now filled him both with bitterness and comfort, and Vanitas let out a broken sigh._

_What had he done in his past life to deserve this kind of punishment, he wondered, before shoving himself back up to his feet._

_He staggered off, once more fuelled by nothing more than the thought that if he failed his mission and died, someone else would die for his failure, as well as with his entire Ring receiving a punishment none of them deserved._

 -

“Tell me about him, then.”

“… Like I probably already told you, he’s dead. He’s been dead for… heh. Can’t believe it’s been over 15 years by now.”

The spell of Radiant Garden’s post-storm silence had been broken by the time they had returned. The winds had turned, filled Cycle Garden with noises from outside the castle walls, and the birds had gone back to their nests – all a sign for an oncoming storm, and Axel had dragged Isa back to his room as fast as he could. Just ten minutes later the rain had started again, and the winds violently shook the tree just outside the window.

Isa was pale, which wasn’t too surprising considering what he’d seen and that there was a thunderstorm happening outside. This was all probably related to this Lea that Axel didn’t know, and he just asked that question almost innocently. He hadn’t expected a reply from Isa at all.

They were sitting on the floor in Axel’s room, the redhead sitting as still as possible to not disturb the other leaning against his shoulder. Isa had his eyes closed and raised a hand to trace the scar across his face with it slowly before continuing to speak.

“You probably guessed by now that this night is a rather… strange example of how a life can go wrong, and it left me with this thing here. … Hell, you probably already put one and one together and figured out that this night wasn’t a normal thunderstorm either, not like what’s happening right now.”

Axel tilted his head a little. “A world storm, then?”

“… Correct. It was a world storm, taking place during the middle of storm season. Lea and I were neighbours in a rather remote suburb of Radiant Garden, a suburb that doesn’t exist anymore. It was completely wiped out that night, and nobody in this city ever bothered rebuilding it so it could be inhabited again. It’s a graveyard nowadays. Anyway. The Lower District was just a small neighbourhood, mostly garden, actually. Lea and I were just messing around in the rain like irresponsible children at our age did back then. I don’t even remember what we were doing, we might have been trampling through some of the flowers. Either way, all of a sudden Lea perks up and tells me to get away from the neighbourhood centre as fast as I can. Radiant Garden is protected by a certain kind of spell which makes Heartless attacks really rare, so neither him not me had ever seen these things, but he still managed to make out one before it attacked us. One moment we were laughing in the rain, the next we’re running for our lives. That’s where my memory gets spotty.”

Axel nodded slowly and hummed out a noise to show he was paying attention. He heard from Isa’s voice that the other was trying to remember something particularly upset, and he knew how that felt. A few minutes of silence between them developed, interrupted only by the occasional thunder growling in the distance. Eventually Isa sighed.

“Right. So it’s kind of like a broken movie, a stuck record. There’s just this Keyblade that flashes to my mind, attached to someone rather tall. Maybe he only looked tall because I was on the ground. Everything’s red hot with pain, and there’s this voice screaming. Is it my own? Is it Lea’s? Someone else’s? I don’t know. I can’t make it out anymore. More screaming, this time me calling out to Lea, and another scream, the clanging of two weapons meeting each other, and then someone dropping to the ground. I pass out in that exact moment, and the next thing I actually know is that I’m in some room of the castle, and Ansem the Wise is looking at me with his brows furrowed in thought.” Isa took a deep breath. “I lost everything that night. My parents. My relatives. I lost Lea, and even his parents and relatives didn’t make it out. The lady selling flowers, most of my classmates. Those that survived probably think I’m dead and this apprentice of Ansem just happens to be called Isa as well, since I never leave the castle. … Ansem and the others were out that night to catch Ienzo, who had managed to get away from Even. Once they found him they realised there was a world storm happening in the middle of a neighbourhood and went to see if there was anyone who needed their help. They apparently came across me and… Lea’s body. They tried to recover me and him at the same time because they thought Lea could have still been alive, but Lea’s body was pulled out into the Lanes Between once they had taken care of me. With Lea vanished his Keyblade.”

Axel scratched his head. Hearing that story made the suspect for Lea’s death rather clear, but he understood how Isa blamed himself for it. The more interesting sliver of information was the fact that Lea was a Keyblade Wielder too, and Axel gently voiced out a question.

“… Lea’s Keyblade? Oh yeah, you wouldn’t know… There’s at least a single Keyblade Wielder born in every world to pass on the Keyblade to keep the world itself safe from outside interference. Since Lea died so young and without any siblings or relatives outliving him, the Keyblade line in Radiant Garden finally died out.”

“I… I see. … How come you’re in the castle at all given times and not permitted to leave, though? I mean, it would make sense for you to not leave while you’re injured, but after you healed up…?”

Isa laughed a little. “At first it didn’t feel like a prison at all, y’know. The castle walls protected me from the outside world that took everything away from me so cruelly. ‘Sides, Radiant Garden doesn’t react too well to imperfection and change. There were riots when Kairi was sent to the Land of Departure to keep her safe. That was just a month before the World Storm struck, and she was barely more than a newborn at the time, anyway. That’s how stuck-up people are about tradition, and tradition includes a Princess of Heart in this world, as well as a Keyblade Wielder who was dutiful and intelligent. Lea was… neither of those. Well, he was a child, nine years old, and these people expected things of him that maybe a 20-something might have been able to do. He was known as a trouble-maker with a smile wide enough to make everyone forgive him. But… but after the World Storm, nobody ever mentioned him again. It was as if he’d never existed, just as well as there was never a mention of little Kairi again. I was seething back then, seething in my hatred for the outside world. I wanted to be locked in, I wanted to be in here for the rest of my life. I personally requested it from Ansem, and he gave me exactly what I wanted. A prison, a perfect prison. Not that 10-year-old me trying to cope with the fact that his best friend and entire family was dead and that his entire face would be forever torn apart by a hideous scar would have understood the impact of his wish, really.”

The redhead blinked. He was starting to understand what Isa truly felt like – this body of Lea, this ghost haunting him and telling him that he was dead. He was dragging this body around, and nobody here in Radiant Garden either noticed, or wanted to notice it. And Isa was too broken to ask someone for help with it, even 15 years later.

“And you know what’s the worst thing about this? Everyone around the entire city knew of Lea back then. He was one of the most open-minded, friendly and generous people in this godforsaken place. He was stubborn enough to get what he wanted, he was almost ridiculously selfish at times. He was loud, obnoxious, chaotic, and yet a violently optimistic person. He brightened up people’s days like he was the sun itself, rising above everyone’s heads and lighting their world. Everyone loved him, but out of all the people he could have chosen as a friend he decided that his broody and quiet neighbour was the right kid out of them all. I never noticed how odd this choice was until I was older, really. … But nobody here wants to remember him. It’s like he was just a candle, used to light everything else in the room, and then being blown out, never to be lit again. And every other candle in the room continues burning, while his spark just vanished forever.”

Axel frowned a little. What Isa said made sense, in a certain odd way. Yet at the same time it sounded like absolute nonsense. He wasn’t entirely sure what to make of this characterisation of a person he’d never met in his life, for someone he would never meet, either. He came up with a picture of a child, boasting and without the slightest trace of manners, yet everyone loved him despite all of that. Kind of like a sun, burning as brightly as one but also as self-centred as this planet. Axel closed his eyes and started thinking for a bit. A few more minutes passed in silence.

“You know,” Isa’s voice was barely more than a whisper drowned by the rain banging against the window, “you remind me of him. You and him both… share this incredibly strange look in your eyes. As if someone had poured lava into them and set them on fire.”

He felt the weight against his shoulder lift and Axel opened his eyes. He almost fell backwards when he realised Isa had moved so he could stare directly into the other’s eyes, and his face was merely inches away from Axel’s. The redhead froze, taking a closer look at this face opposite him. It was a melancholic face framed by this coldly blue hair, but it seemed fitting somehow. The bitterness and striking loneliness hidden somewhere in these calm eyes only added up to the strange picture before him, all of that topped with this faint but noticeable cross-shaped scar squarely in the middle of that face, perfectly cleaving it into two halves. Axel had never quite noticed this before, and stared back at Isa.

The longer he thought about it, though, the funnier this situation became. A young man of unknown age with amnesia and another young man who looked so much older expression-wise than he actually was, sitting in the middle of an almost empty room, their faces only inches apart. Both of them were wearing a strangely lost aura as well.

He… didn’t particularly mind this, though.

Of course Axel wanted to know his past more than anything else, he wished to know what had happened to him before coming here with all his heart, he desired his true name and origins – but mixing into that was the almost painful need to know who Isa really was underneath all these layers of bitterness and coldness. This man was neither truly a prisoner, nor was he truly and apprentice of Ansem the Wise, but something bound him to this place. This something included but was not limited to Lea’s untimely death and Isa’s urge to wrap the first blanket offered to him after the fact. There was a hidden reason for everyone except part of Ienzo keeping Isa confined within these walls. There was more reason behind Isa merely accepting this fact and only complaining about it once in a while. What secrets did this place really hold? More importantly; which of these secrets were linked to Isa’s and his own fate?

Axel closed his eyes again with a small smile.

“You’ve got a rather interesting face, you know. I can’t read what you’re thinking, like I can with Ienzo and the other people of this castle. There’s something about you that just keeps me locked out and… I dunno. I’d like to get to know that something a little better, maybe one day.”

Isa’s only reply was a soft laugh, almost drowned out by the loud rumble of thunder not too far away.


	6. Caught in the Net

“Isa” – I almost hate to admit that, but I’m growing attached to him. Like, really attached. He’s so unlike the other inhabitants of this castle, which just leaves me almost starved for more information on how he thinks and how he will act next. Most of my predictions fail, which ends up with him yelling at me for being an idiot. Actually, it seems like he’s almost hungrily waiting for me to remember something, anything, and he seems rather disappointed that I can’t tell him anything once in a while. Maybe it’s because I’m not from Radiant Garden – he’d want information on the outside world. But… funnily enough, he seems to understand my situation somehow, I think. Partially at least. Maybe I’m really just getting stupidly attached to him, but I feel like I can trust him. Absolutely. … I guess it’s because he let his guard down around me once, unlike the other people of this castle.

 -

“Axel” – That’s me, temporarily at least. The name still feels a little wrong, but I’ve gotten used to it by now. Apparently I’ve been trained in combat for a couple of years, judging from Ienzo’s analysis and Isa’s observation of my skill. I also seem to have been trained differently than most Keyblade Wielders, with the specialisation on fire magic and defensive strikes. … Honestly, I feel like my homeworld is one that resembles a desert. One of them has to be like that. And that’s my home. And it’s freaking me out to think about this.

 -

“Lea” – Isa’s childhood friend. He’s been dead for over 15 years, and everything surrounding his death sounds like it’s a perfectly laid-out murder plot. No body to be ever found, the only eye-witness mentally scarred enough so his memory refuses to work. I dunno. Something about this just stinks. Something about this Lea just stinks. It feels almost like I’m supposed to know him, but I don’t. I’ve never met this guy… have I?

 -

“Isa’s scar” – I never really paid attention to it until the other night, but it’s perfectly cross-shaped. It was most certainly carved into his face. Something about this scar makes me want to turn around and run away from him, though… Why’s that? Why do I feel like I know something about this thing that Isa doesn’t know yet?

 -

“Ansem” – Surname “the Wise”, apparently. He’s the head of the City of Radiant Garden, but he might as well be the lord of this entire world. The world is called Radiant Garden, after all… He’s kind of self-absorbed, acts too high and mighty for my tastes, and wants everyone to blindly follow his orders. I hate that. I kind of hate him. Him, and his stupid satanic golden eyes.

 

\--

 

Axel had known this was going to be a bad day from the moment he first opened his eyes. His head was throbbing dully, as if someone had wrung it out overnight. He felt like he had barely slept at all.

And now he was pressed against a wall with no possibility whatsoever to escape. Cold steel against his throat, and cold sweat was running down his forehead. Oh, how he wished he’d stayed in bed and faked being sick. He was scared to death, and because of that his Keyblade refused to listen to his orders.

But first things first.

It started out rather normally, actually. There was just this underlying sense of disturbance, since everyone seemed to be up and hurrying around inside the castle walls. Everyone. The air was packed with a certain kind of friction, as if people were worried about something. The next thing that kind of seemed odd was the fact that the light appeared even more brilliantly blinding than usual today. He spent a moment pondering on that, and the next thing he knew was he was sitting on the floor with someone else opposite him.

He looked around, only to find that the person who had apparently run into him was Ienzo, of all people. Normally calm and collected Ienzo seemed to be seething with a new kind of rage right now and gathered up whatever he had been carrying, only to hurry down the hall without even as much as acknowledging Axel. The next surprise was that Even, against the odds, was the person to offer the redhead a hand to stand back up. He was muttering something out about Ienzo and his scatter-brained behaviour today and vanished down the very same hall. Axel didn’t even dare questioning it and continued on his way.

Dilan, Aeleus and Ansem the Wise were standing together at some turn, in front of the study. He didn’t dare approaching them and took a sharp turn, back down the hall he’d just emerged from. He continued aimlessly wandering around for a while until he finally realised he had taken one too many turns and had ended up in a rather unused part of the castle. Isa had never mentioned it before, and had never walked into there either, so Axel was confused to say the least. In hopes of not accidentally opening a door to hell itself he shoved one open, only to be met with the castle library. Apparently this was just another entry to it; to a different part of it altogether now that he looked at it.

The room was dimly lit by a couple of magical lamps, and somewhere in the middle of that, on an old sofa, sat Isa, a book in his hands and a frown on his face. Apparently the blue-haired hadn’t even noticed Axel entering this room, so he walked over and tapped the other man on the shoulder. Isa hurled the book away and bolted to his feet, only to shake his head with an angry and confused noise.

“Axel. You could’ve told me it was you.”

“Were you expecting someone else?”

“You startled me. And yes, I was expecting someone else. I almost threw a punch in your face there.”

Axel merely raised an eyebrow and sat down next to Isa. The other had sunken back into the sofa and had grabbed a different book from a pile next to him. Neither said a single word, and Axel was enjoying the silence. It was soothing his headache a little, and watching Isa angrily flip pages in search of something was kind of amusing. Though, upon further inspection, he seemed to be reading something written in a different language altogether. Kind of impressive, considering Axel only spoke Lightlandish himself. The redhead was starting to doze off slowly, and Isa seemed to be forgetting the world around him as well. Just shoulder by shoulder they spend an hour or two like that in the library.

It was relaxing, it felt right somehow.

The peace was ultimately interrupted by someone opening the door. Both men’s heads shot up and they looked at the source of sudden noise.

“Well, you see, Master, this part of the library only holds the originals of the books you already have at the L—“

“Be quiet.”

Ienzo let out an annoyed sound and stopped dead in his tracks.

“If I may, though, Ienzo does have a point. There are no books you don’t already know in here; these are merely the originals in Older Lightlandish and even different versions of Darklandish and such. You are looking for a book on darkness, but there’s no such thing in h—“

“I said, be quiet. You both are annoying; I’m just here to have a look, like the Master said.”

Even also fell silent, not even looking offended for once. He just looked exasperated. All of a sudden the peaceful air inside the library had changed to something thicker, venomous.

A new voice quipped in, and Isa stiffened noticeably next to Axel. “Master, maybe they do have a point, though. They know this castle and therefore the library stock better than us. We just need a book on darkness to help us get a lead on where and how Ventus, Aqua and Sora might have vanished.”

Isa stood up silently; placing the book he had grabbed earlier on the pile. For some reason, Axel thought it might be best to do the same, and stood up slowly. Naturally the smaller man was by no way a cover, but something inside Isa seemed to be turning aggressive in this very moment, which made him a good cover. Apparently not good enough of a cover, though.

The strangers between Ienzo and Even finally noticed they were not the only ones in the library, and the taller man rolled his eyes almost immediately.

“Who’s the redhead, scar-face?” he asked, his deep voice vibrating through the room.

“A guest, Master Terra,” Isa’s tone was dry and professionally icy, “and I would prefer you do not address him or me with these names. Actually, continue addressing me as you wish, but treat our guest as one.” His irritation was audible, something that Axel hadn’t noticed happening ever before. Isa turned his head slightly to look at him. “Axel, let’s go. There’s too much brute force and no brain in this room, and I’d rather we not take up too much precious space around someone as pathetically unable to control himself as Master Terra.”

The person apparently called Terra sighed and merely summoned a Keyblade, effectively placing himself between Isa, Axel and the door.

“Now hold on a moment, I’d like to talk to your guest for a moment. Any objections from the peanut gallery?”

Silence spread – neither Ienzo nor Even seemed particularly interested in picking a fight with this man and merely shook their heads. The one who had come with Terra, a teenager with long silver hair and blue eyes, merely shrugged. Isa, however, was shaking with silent rage.

“Just. Leave it. Be,” he snarled out, taking a step forwards and kicking over a stack of books. They spilled on the floor, and Isa grabbed Axel’s arm roughly. “We’re leaving.” It was almost painful – Isa certainly didn’t look like he had that much power in his compact build. Axel winced and was dragged around the Keyblade. “Come on, Axel, we don’t have to converse with keyslinging cavemen.”

Not even a second passed between Isa finishing that sentence and both men being sent flying away. Isa crashed into a bookshelf, Axel himself was rammed into a wall, the stranger’s Keyblade placed on his throat.

“Summon yours, and drop it. Riku, you watch that he doesn’t try anything funny on us.”

His heart was beating fast, faster than usual. Axel was convinced that it would pop right out of his mouth and into that stranger’s face, and that would be the last he’d see. Naturally, no such thing happened, and with a shaking hand he called upon that familiar and comforting weapon. The nerve-calming weight appeared in his hand, weighed him down a little. When he let go he felt like he was betraying the best friend he’d ever had, like ramming a knife into his own father’s back and twisting it deeper and deeper. Of course dropping a Keyblade was rather pointless, could it be summoned back to its owners’ hands within a mere second. However, that process of the Keyblade vanishing and reappearing gave the other man enough time to either kill Axel, or to immediately disarm him again. He was aware that this was a hopeless situation.

“Let’s see… Definitely not a face from the Land of Departure, and not one of a renegade or a traveller I know of… You’re no Keyblade Master, nor do you serve under one – in this Light Cycle. State your business within the invisible borders of this Light Cycle, stranger.”

Axel shook his head, agonisingly slowly in order to avoid scratching his own throat open. He wouldn’t have been able to even utter a single word, anyway; something in his head clicked and made his voice refuse him. Instead a rather annoyed but also slightly dizzy sounding growl of “He lost his memory, blockhead! He can’t remember anything, no matter how much you ask him!” came from the corner where Isa stood up slowly, trying to at least not step on any of the books.

“Name of Keyblade?” Once more Axel merely shook his head. “Which Light Cycle are you from?” The redhead merely blinked. “Skill level? Renegade, Traveller, Main Post? Born with it or granted later by a Master?” Axel merely hummed, shaking his head a little again. “Name your Master, then.”

This time the redhead narrowed his eyes. Sweat trickled down his face, as if something suddenly was there, just out of his reach. Funnily enough it seemed as if his heart had completely stopped beating at this point. It felt as if all blood circulation had suddenly ceased, turning him into a perfectly still statue.

This Terra sure looked irritated, the Keyblade was also starting to shake slightly.

Once Axel realised that there were black dots swimming in his vision it was already too late.

-

_Ring 11 was, quite simply put, rather unimportant. At least it felt like that. They were constantly overlooked, but not a single member of this Ring particularly minded this fact. Not being noticed, albeit it being the most outstanding ability of theirs, was almost certain to avert the Master’s rage from them. This fact alone was enough to keep Ventus calm and collected, although he hated admitting that. Not that he would admit that aloud. Every time they spoke aloud something horrible happened to them, and so they just huddled together in the shade. They all made sure to move as little as possible, their eyes locked onto the ground, the stone keeping the pale and milky sun behind the clouds out of their eyes. Ring 11 was supposed to be invisible, and so they were._

_Of course sometimes they, especially Ventus, wished they could be in another Ring. Ring 1 with the balanced but attack-oriented fighters was something many members of Ring 11 had dreamed of at least once. Or Ring 4 with the focus on defence. Or, fittingly, Ring 8. The survivors. They weren’t unlike Ring 11, with the exception that they were taught to survive rather than be ignored by everything and everyone. They knew how to fight, some knew how to heal, and they were trained in these aspects to implement that in their survival strategies. Of course there was a certain charm to being absolutely invisible to other people, but after a while it got boring. Dreadfully boring._

_Naturally their Ringleader was so good at it that Ventus hadn’t seen her in quite a while. Ringleaders were generally the ones who were the best at their aspect. The ones from Rings 1 to 8 were the most impressive ones, though. They had been around for so long that they must know secrets about this place that other people could only dream of. Those Ringleaders were more myth than reality to many members of the later Rings._

_Ventus had actually seen the Ringleader of Ring 1 once in his life in this place. It was from a safe distance, naturally, but this rather small figure next to the one clearly belonging to the Master had to have been Right Hand. Just the thought of someone standing next to the Master like that chilled Ventus to the bone – just how insanely powerful did that teenager have to be, if he had managed to get this far?_

_Compared to 1-1, 11-12 was a weak and fragile 22-year-old, with barely enough willpower to disagree to any sort of order he got. Not that Ventus particularly minded that – it had kept him more alive than anyone else in his family, or from the place he called home after he, too, slipped away from home. Unlike his brother and parents he was alive; he’d survived the Lanes Between when he had just been around 9. He had even survived 10 years in this barren wasteland, under constant punishment for all failures he might have made once or twice._

_The other person from the Land of Departure in this place…_

_Ventus didn’t know._

_That kid had been from Ring 8._

-

It was painfully obvious that Axel never intended to fall unconscious like that. It was the sudden movement of the redhead that startled the Keyblade Master enough to take a step backwards and swing the Keyblade. Isa, however, felt like something else was suddenly guiding his steps. His blood felt scorching hot, and he lunged forwards to somehow throw something between that Keyblade and the unconscious man sitting on the floor leaning against the wall he’d just slid down. Most of the time Isa forgot he had a magically enhanced weapon, he generally kept it locked away in his room, but now his hands moved mechanically. It appeared in his hands and he tossed it. Not a second too late, as it hit the Keyblade with a cloud clanging sound, and Terra’s perfectly traced arc was rudely interrupted as he tripped a little forwards and rammed the Keyblade into the wall – mere centimetres above Axel’s head.

Normally Isa avoided throwing his weapon in any way or shape. It was way too large to be thrown around like that, anyway, and the last time he’d actually used it had been against Terra as well.

The brown-haired man pulled his Keyblade out of the wall, a furious glint in his eyes as he turned to look at Isa. The Claymore reappeared in the castle inhabitant’s right hand, and they glared at each other for a moment. After that moment passed, Terra started sneering. Not a pretty sight to behold, considering this man was supposed to be an absolutely pure guardian of light.

“Well, well, well. Seems the ugly monster made of darkness shows its face once more, doesn’t it.”

Isa jerked his head to the side, both in anger and irritation – Keyblade Wielders from the Land of Departure were all too eager to call the blue-haired a monster once he did anything other than be a calm and collected castle shut-in. Not even Even in all his fury and rage over even the slightest insult knew better than to call this young man a monster. He let out an annoyed sigh.

“Well,” the way the Keyblade Master began surely spoke no good news, “it is my duty to rid the worlds of those who endanger the peace and stability. Free them from monsters like him and you.”

“Monsters?” Isa merely snorted, swinging the Claymore around until he held it backhanded again. “I understand you think that way about me. I can even see where you’re coming from – but him?” He narrowed his eyes when Terra just let out a barking laugh.

“Explaining things to dead monsters is absolutely pointless. You’re done, Isa!”

Before he had even finished the last sentence, Terra had already made a large swing forward. Isa avoided that attack by leaning backwards. He had wanted to avoid an actual fight like this, but it was better than letting Terra focus on Axel again, he supposed. The blue-haired threw a careful and quick glance over to the redhead, who was still sitting there leaning against the wall. He was shaking, and Isa realised that this might be a side-effect of buried memories that were particularly traumatising. It made Isa unreasonably angry that he had to physically defend himself and this amnesiac on the floor – weren’t Keyblade Wielders supposed to be benevolent and just?

He blocked a swing from Terra and realised that this was an even battle as long as Terra’s student stayed out of it. Both young men relied on strength, though Isa lacked serious stamina. If this was going to be a long-drawn battle he would lose.

Thankfully Riku seemed too terrified to even think about aiding his teacher against a compete lunatic like Isa, the battle going on undisturbed. Ienzo and Even had vanished, most likely to gather Dilan and Aeleus to break the fighting apart with their superior strength and size compared to Isa and Terra. Claymore and Keyblade collided somewhere over the fighter’s heads, and after ten seconds both men realised that their strength was even, both of them jumping backwards slightly. Isa had made a smaller jump, using this opening to hurl himself forwards and attempt to knock Terra off his feet. It failed, as merely seconds later his Claymore met the Keyblade again and Terra merely staggered a little upon finding solid footing to try to push the blue-haired away. The fact that Isa knew he would have fallen calmed his head down a little, as if someone had pushed him face first into cold water.

Maybe challenging someone trained to fight hadn’t been such a bright idea, even if it was the only thing that Isa could have done to avoid getting Axel killed.

A few minutes passed, and a lot of books had been spilled on the floor, making it hard to get solid footing. Terra and Isa circled each other like lions, and Isa started thinking. It hadn’t been too long ago that they had done almost the same thing, maybe a few years. It had been before Riku had been officially accepted and admitted as student of the newly named Master Terra, just mere days before Ventus vanished. Normally Aqua had been around to calm Terra down enough to not attack the other from Radiant Garden, but the Spellweaver had vanished about a year before Ventus himself had vanished. It was obvious that Terra and Isa had a score to settle, but Isa didn’t feel like actually settling it once and for all.

All he really wanted was for Axel to wake up again and say that he was okay. Lea never did that, and he felt responsible for this. If Axel didn’t get up now, Isa would have failed again, once more against a person with a Keyblade, in an environment he thought he knew. Back then he got 15 years locked into a castle as punishment. What would he receive now?

It was like a spark that made the fires within Isa burn again, and with a roar he lunged forwards. Once more metal met metal; and Isa’s frustration kept on growing. Somewhere to the right of him Riku and Axel both moved, though Axel’s movement was merely a weak twitch before complete stillness again. Whatever Riku had done was irrelevant, anyway, since he didn’t move in to aid his teacher. Both the man with the Keyblade and the man with the Claymore tried pushing each other away, the fighting having come to a momentary standstill.

…All the scattered books would drive Ienzo and Even mad. Not that Isa had scattered them, this was all Terra’s—

“What on earth do you two think you’re doing!?”

“Terra! Cease at once!”

“Isa, have you completely lost your mind? Drop that weapon!”

Their heads turned to look at the source of the orders, weapons still pressed against each other, both unwilling to obey the orders they were given right the moment they were issued. Both threw another furious look at each other, and finally the Keyblade vanished in a flash of strange light, and the Claymore disappeared with a grey flash. Isa merely bared his teeth with a snarl, and Terra growled right back.

Ansem the Wise and Master Eraqus finally entered the room for real, with Ienzo and Even peeking into the rom behind them. Both heads of their worlds seemed angry, and Isa and Terra finally turned around properly to bow their heads.

“Master Ansem.”

“Master Eraqus.”

Ansem’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the room. All furniture had been knocked over, and the books were scattered about everywhere. He eventually stopped for a moment to look at Axel slowly stirring on the floor, and Riku standing not too far away blinking rapidly. Both masters raised their eyebrows in question as they looked back at the two students who had caused this mess. Isa wished Eraqus would look somewhere else – he wasn’t too fond of this man, either. Not because he openly accused him of being a monster or something upsetting the balance between light and darkness, but rather because Eraqus had insisted that Isa being the survivor of that night was a horrible waste of a valuable Keyblade Wielder.

Isa raised a hand slowly to scratch the bridge of his nose. As always, once the weapon was gone from his hands, the scar started itching in a very strange way. He’d have to be careful to not rip it open again like last time.

“What has taken place here, exactly?”

Isa rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “I was just about to leave Master Terra and his student alone to take care of things themselves. Me and Axel just happened to be in here, and we were literally about to leave. Apparently Master Terra over there thought that Axel was highly suspicious and started interrogating Axel, despite me telling him the very truth of Axel having lost his memories. At some point Axel cracked, being pressed against the wall with a Keyblade on his throat like that, and fainted from sheer stress of trying to recall anything to make this man take the Keyblade away. Master Terra here took that as a direct attack, and had I not hurled my weapon to stop him, Axel would have lost his head, most likely. Master Terra then proceeded to insult me, and as always, we ended up fighting over it.”

Terra only snorted. “How should I have known he’d not attack me? There’s a wide array of tactics to catch someone off-guard, and Kingdom Hearts knows what someone with a Keyblade and such a lean body can manage.”

“A Keyblade?” Master Eraqus’ voice sounded strangely interested all of a sudden. Isa didn’t like this tone the slightest, and he furrowed his eyebrows. “Is that what you mentioned the last time we talked?”

“Yes.” Ansem nodded, but then looked over to watch Axel drag himself back to his feet. “He is, however, not a problem. He has proven to be rather helpful all around. His excellent condition and Keyblade are just a nice bonus to getting such a well-trained young man into our castle staff.”

-

_He had returned “home”._

_His entire body was wrecked with spasms and uncontrollably summoning his Keyblade only for it to burst into dark specks again was a sign he was losing stability too fast. He’d taken the slash across his face with as much dignity as someone whose entire body was tearing itself apart could manage, and then was left in the care of Ring 0. Somewhere in his delirium Vanitas had registered his new orders – he was now supposed to kill everyone of Ring 8, as he had originally planned on doing, but it left a bitter taste in his mouth once one of the healers from Ring 0 managed to stop his constant throwing up._

_To be honest, he wished he’d actually died from that attack, because all it meant to survive these was that the time would tick by ever slower. How many centuries would Vanitas last if he wouldn’t get himself killed? Maybe five. Maybe fire hundred. And sadly the latter seemed more likely at this point; this had not been the first kind of attack he’d had in his life._

_“Hey. Are you feeling better?”_

_Vanitas, still lying on whatever makeshift bed in the stone wall they’d placed him in, shook his head slowly. His entire body felt like it was made of lead, and his eyes refused to open._

_“How long has it been since you had one that bad? I’d have thought your body might have finally achieved true time neutrality. And if not that, the worlds should leave a Keyblade Wielder alone with this kind of thing. Looks like I was mistaken on both counts…”_

_“We are…” Vanitas’ voice was barely more than a hoarse whisper, and the other person had to lean in to listen to him properly. “…not trained correctly… Normally… we get armour… to protect us from… timeflow. But… we are not trained properly… Lu… we’re tools… of destruction…” He took a deep breath and finally managed to open his eyes a little. “All of us. Each and every. All Rings, every Ringleader. Even you and your company here. The only difference between Ring 0 and the rest is that you haven’t had this tool of destruction fact carved into your flesh somehow.”_

_Lumaria frowned and shook his head slightly. “I know that. This is exactly the reason we’ve decided enough was enough. Ed, Re and me have already risked out necks. You just barely missed Left Hand beating the everloving shit out of me, and you slept through my recovery. Too bad, Van.”_

_“Pff… You wouldn’t be Lumaria of the Fourth Garden if you didn’t risk your head for something as silly as the freedom we all have lost at some point in our lives.” Vanitas slowly sat up, scanning the cave that Ring 0 stayed in. Nobody else was here. “… I’ll have to admit that I kind of admire it, though.”_

_Lumaria of the Fourth Garden merely laughed silently and handed Vanitas a cup._

_“Hot **water**?”_

_“Can’t exactly have you throw up again just because we gave you tea. I know you only drink it when it’s so sweet it rots your teeth and with lots of milk. Therefore, water. … And, no, you got it all wrong. You’re the one risking your head for something as stupid as freedom. The difference between you and I is that Right Hand of the first Ring doesn’t put himself first but blindly barges in for someone else’s sake. First and foremost the person that’s here to keep you chained, then us and your Ring, then the entire rest of all worlds, and then, right at the end of the line, comes you. And that’s exactly the reason you’re sitting here, sipping steaming water slowly while trying to recover fast enough to keep on doing a pointlessly brutal mission that’ll only cleave at your conscience. That’s why your muscles are stiff, your throat is sore, your eyes won’t open properly, and the reason you’ve almost submitted to darkness once again.”_

_Vanitas rolled his eyes, and Lumaria laughed. “Here I thought you were supposed to be the older one, Vanitas!”_

_Now it was Vanitas’ turn to laugh. A dry laugh, and rather quiet at that. “Don’t forget I look like I could be your younger brother. Younger by a decade, at least. Young, fresh, only sixteen. Not at all like the pathetic 29 I’d actually be. 29, can you believe that? If I’d become an Undying a little earlier I might even look like I could be my own son! I don’t even want to imagine what my younger brother looks like now. He’ll be taller, look older, sound older, and all I’ll ever be until the day he dies is a teenager. I’ll look like 29 maybe in a century, maybe even a millennia or two…”_

_“Shut your mouth and drink your hot water, it’s disgusting when it’s cold.”_

_Both laughed, although Vanitas stopped sooner than Lumaria. He stared into his cup, realising that he was actually getting better. Of course he was glad to still be around to talk to the only person who knew that he wasn’t a cold-blooded slaughterer under the boss’ command, but getting better also meant he would soon be ready to continue his mission._

_It was kill or be killed this time around, he knew that. If he failed and returned here again with irregularities, he’d be disposed of, and with him his brother._

_Lumaria himself just watched the first few of Ring 0 come back into the quarters. He knew that this was getting more and more complicated, but it was too late to back out of his plans. Vanitas, whether he liked it or not, was a part of these plans as well. When Relena strode into the room, he stood up._

_The cup of water was still half full and cold by now._

 -

“’Well-trained’ was an understatement. This man’s a complete lunatic, even worse than the other lunatic in this castle!”

Axel made his Keyblade vanish with a frown on his face. He seemed rather bothered by being called that, and Isa just shrugged apologetically. Unlike his sparring partner Axel didn’t seem to be bothered by his exhaustion too much; naturally he looked tired, but he was not breathing heavily and leaning onto his Keyblade for support like Master Eraqus. Even Terra before his Master had been soundly defeated, sweat still on the brown-haired’s forehead.

It had been rather amusing to watch both these men who had never once said anything good about Isa. Maybe even more satisfying than Isa wanted to admit – there had been a certain magic to how Axel had moved and just torn apart Terra and Eraqus from the Land of Departure.

“Which is… in fact worrying.” Isa’s smirk died on his lips as Eraqus said these words. “I have no idea who could have trained this young man. Whoever did it surely understood how to meld him into a formidable fighter who knows when to retreat and when to attack. Ansem, I’m quite sorry to put it this way, but you house a dangerous person here.”

Isa looked around, and to his horror everyone but Ienzo seemed to be agreeing, albeit quietly. Ienzo however seemed more uncertain what to actually think, since he always valued a higher-up’s opinion more than his own. And Ienzo was not one to openly disagree with a Keyblade Master.

Isa stepped forwards to make sure Eraqus saw him. “Wait, Sir. There’s nothing Axel would do. He holds no grudge against—“

“And how can you be so sure of that?”

“I just know, okay? Trust me.”

Naturally he knew that nobody in their right mind would trust the word of someone who had not left the castle for 15 years, but it was all Isa could hope for. He was just hoping to appeal to Eraqus’ sense of observing the person he talked to. Isa knew that, no matter what happened here, he needed Axel as much as the other needed him at this point. Axel needed someone who wouldn’t pester him about his memories and just try to help him remember otherwise, and Isa just needed someone to talk to. Of course there was the possibility to making Axel take him to another world, but that was something Isa had never once considered so far. He just needed the redhead.

A few moments passed in silence, and Isa realised that Master Eraqus had not understood what he had meant. The look the Master of the Land of Departure gave Axel now made sure that Axel was now either up for being locked away in some dungeon, or for something worse. The redhead was a danger to peace and balance in the man’s eyes.

“You see, boy, the problem here is not that this stranger has been trained. It is more his lack of training – he uses both light and darkness freely to let it guide him. Whichever he needs in that moment is the source he draws from. To keep order is a Keyblade Wielder’s calling. But to keep order one has to keep the darkness within them sufficiently in check – they mustn’t draw on their inner darkness like he does. This man, as a whole, could easily attract darkness with his own darkness, and once this entire world had been swallowed he would move on to the others in our Light Cycle. Who knows if he’d stop here. Cycle Breaching is easy if you’re strong enough.”

“As if—“

“You don’t know this man. How can you be so sure that he is not here to stamp out all light?”

“I just—“

“You just happen to trust a complete stranger rather than the people who have kept you safe ever since that fateful day?”

“But Axel—“

“I see my words are not reaching you. But this was to be expected from a creature dwelling closer to the darkness than even the person it tries to defend.”

This time it was Axel who took a step forwards. There was fury glinting in his eyes. “Listen to yourself! You talk as if Isa’s not even a human in your eyes! He’s not a ‘creature’! What gives you the right to decide who’s human and who’s not based on where they draw their powers from?” The redhead talked slowly, but his gestures showed he was agitated. “If your problem’s with me, then denounce me to a creature, but leave Isa out of this! Out of all people here he’s been nicer to me than anyone else. He’s not a creature, he’s a good person!”

The last gesture had been rather hectic, and Terra and Riku both stepped forwards as well, Keyblades drawn. Apparently not a single word had been taken serious, they’d just seen an increasingly angry threat in their middle, and Eraqus summoned his Keyblade as well.

Not good at all.

Isa knew while he could keep Terra on his own busy, he would lose to Terra and Riku, or Eraqus, and had no hopes or taking all three of them out. He would never reach the redhead. They would turn him into mincemeat within seconds, and Axel would be next. He was trying to work around this, but all possibilities ended up with both him and Axel dead on the ground of the Cycle Garden.

As if some sort of self-defence mechanism had clicked all of a sudden, Axel knew exactly what to do. While the three Keyblade Wielders were still quietly discussing what to do next, he the redhead had dropped and rolled forwards, faster than anyone in this place could have reacted. Within the same movement he had summoned his Keyblade back and torn a hole into the world border right behind Isa. Isa was just trying to catch a sight of a portal to the Lanes Between and everything beyond, but the next second Axel had grabbed his arm and hurled both of them into the portal. This whole process had not taken more than five seconds, and both men were gone, the portal closed.

Ienzo was the first to react after all that happened. He just blinked several times before whistling. “I warned you that this guy’s fast. He’s been somehow trained to avoid conflict as well as possible, and he uses his entire body to get out of situations like that. Though, I never saw him use that kind of dodge roll before. He might have remembered it because he was under such pressure…”

The three people from the Land of Departure lowered their Keyblades. Riku in particular seemed rather confused yet astonished. “That was… _amazing_.”

Terra and Eraqus seemed at a complete loss for words.

Ansem the Wise, however, wasn’t. His head turned slightly red as he raised both hands to brush through his hair in disbelief.

“What the hell are you three idiots standing around here for!? Get Isa back _at once_! The boy hasn’t been outside for the past 15 years, he’d never been outside of Radiant Garden either, and _he must not leave this place_! Eraqus! Fetch Isa, at _once_!”

-

_The afternoon sun was warm, warmer than expected. It wasn’t as scorching as the sun back in the world they had escaped from, which was slightly confusing. This vast wasteland was all they’d known aside from the everlasting night in Traverse Town. Like Traverse this place was bursting with life and busy, the streets hectic even at such a late hour. Maybe they should have attempted to obtain different clothes – one wore a black coat and both had one of their eyes hidden underneath either bandages or an eye-patch. She followed him quietly, his coat blowing in the gentle afternoon breeze._

_The warm sunlight made his hair look like it was spun from gold, and once more she found herself envying her twin for looking more like their mother rather than their father._

_“It’s… autumn. The brown-haired girl from earlier said that.”_

_“I completely forgot seasons changed. Did you, Xion?”_

_“… I knew they changed, but I only remembered summer and maybe winter. It’s weird, isn’t it? Seasons change. People are alive and well and living their lives. And we’re here, not there. The Ring’s not here. The Ringleader’s not here. The constant feeling of dread and the fact we might all die the next day is… gone. It’s still there, of course, but it’s less prominent and choking than it was back there.”_

_A sigh. “Xion…”_

_“I know. I know we’re going to be chased down eventually. All deserters get caught and slaughtered by either Right Hand or Left Hand. Those two always get the dirty work, don’t they?”_

_Hopefully it wasn’t Left Hand. That man was known for being cruel beyond imagination. Right Hand was young and they could try negotiating with him, since he knew the situation they were in. Xion quietly asked what they should do if Left Hand was the one being sent after them. Roxas didn’t answer her._

_So, instead, she stopped at some corner to stretch and check if everything was still in place. Her hand hovered in front of the eye-patch for a moment._

_“Why are we wearing these again?”_

_Her brother sighed again before turning around to look at her. “To keep us safe. You know we could easily be tracked if we didn’t somehow magically cover these signs. Ours are in this unfortunate place, so covering the eyes it is. Thankfully it’s easier to cover than anything else. Even though I don’t like how it limits my sight.”_

_She shrugged, dropping her hand. “I dunno. It doesn’t make much difference to me. Sure, a bit of depth is gone, and all seems rather odd, but as a healer I don’t particularly mind losing one eye temporarily.”_

_They fell silent again and continued their trot through the town. People here were already getting used to this odd pair quietly whisking through the streets as if looking for something. As long as they weren’t considered a threat or strange enough to be reported to someone else, all was well. Roxas and Xion could handle this kind of hiding place rather well – Twilight Town was a very pleasant world, to say the least._

-

He landed on the ground with a loud thud. They had almost spent three days in this place, but he was not used to this world the slightest. With a grin on his face his companion offered him an arm and helped him up, commenting on how clumsy he actually was. He considered slapping the other for a moment, but then came to the conclusion it was useless and wouldn’t change a thing.

They stopped walking, though. The other commented on his obvious exhaustion, and they both sat down. It wasn’t a lie. He was tired, exhausted to the very bone. He wasn’t used to so much walking. Walking, walking, walking. They were on the run, after all. Well, actually they had been running for a while, at least until Axel had dropped to the ground first with a groan. Isa hadn’t minded taking a break roughly four hours after escaping from Radiant Garden and the other Keyblade Wielders. Three days later and they were just hoping they had managed to get enough distance between them and the people in Radiant Garden; enough distance to keep them off their backs for now. Truth be told, Isa had absolutely no idea where they were – neither did Axel – but after years and years of the same castle walls everything was almost an adventure. Too much adventure for someone used to castle routine. A nameless world; and they were on the run.

It was hilarious in hindsight.

Isa could, however, admit that he preferred being stuck in the unknown with Axel than being back in Radiant Garden in his golden cage. Or possibly dead for offending a Keyblade Master.

“Ah, say, Isa.” Axel leaned forwards. “The hell was that old man talking about? Calling you a ‘creature of darkness’ and such.”

“Mhm.”

He didn’t know how to explain this, and Axel throw his arms out and let himself fall backwards. “I just mean, like, why would someone be this obsessed with light in the first place? We’re in the Realm of Light, for Kingdom Hearts’ sake! That’s where most of the worlds float around in anyway, and what stitched the wounds back together after the ancient catastrophe.” Even though he was now speaking like a normal person, there was still a certain melody to Axel’s voice that made him sound otherwoldish. “What’s the big deal about that boring old light, and why would we need to keep the dark out of it? No matter how you look at it, even the brightest light will cause the darkest shadow. Just like extreme darkness will never be able to choke out all light. What’s so bad about… darkness, then?”

Isa shook his head.

“Think of it as the sun and the moon, with the sun representing light and the moon representing darkness. Of course everyone wants to have as much of the sun as possible, it keeps them warm. It keeps the worlds warm as well, and gives them the light they need to see. But without the moon rising there would be no night, there would be no way for any life to exist. We would all burn alive, as there would be no water. Just the sun, endlessly torching the ground. Without the moon there would be no tides, no life in the oceans. We can’t exist without both of these in equal shares. Yet there are people who claim that we only need the sun, people who try to dismiss the moon entirely. They talk about artificially replacing it with another sun, to make sure the light is always there and brilliant as ever. They’ll blame it on the moon as well when their suns scorch their fields, make it impossible to live in their old homes, and make their homes uninhabitable. The same is true in reverse, though. People who claim they need only the moon, not a single sun, and blame it on the sun they replaced when things go wrong.”

“So… we need balance?” Axel scratched his head.

The blue-haired shrugged, uncertain how to not sound like the monster Terra had claimed him to be since the day they met.

“The worlds do, yes. Our bodies don’t particularly need a balance, we can exist in both extremes. People can decide what they wish to use. Darkness doesn’t always cause destruction, just as light isn’t the universal answer when it comes to rebuilding. You can set things on fire with light, there are many destructive light spells – but there’s also ways to heal using the darkness. And the scars that pure darkness leaves are the same as the ones pure light leaves.”

Axel sat up somewhere during that speech, and Isa saw how he narrowed his eyes when Isa had mentioned the word “scars”. Interestingly it wasn’t because of the scar in the middle of Isa’s face, but rather because of something else. Axel was looking somewhere else entirely.

“They’re… the same?”

“Yes. They are absolutely identical and impossible to keep apart. If there were two of me here, and the other had been attacked with pure light the same way pure darkness has been used on me, you’d not be able to distinguish between which Isa got attacked by darkness and which by light. Now, before you ask, what if, theoretically, there was a third Isa, who was attacked with a perfectly balanced attack? Equal shares of light and darkness? That Isa wouldn’t have a scar. Our bodies might not need perfect balance, but they strive for it. Attacks that come from perfect balance won’t leave scars like this.”

Axel nodded, his expression grim.

“Back to the original topic… Why did Master Eraqus call me subhuman at best, and monster at worst? Think of the sun and the moon again. You draw your power from the sun, just as Master Eraqus does. I draw mine from the moon. You, unlike Eraqus, can draw from the moon as well. You wouldn’t do that, your fighting style relies on light spells and such too much. Theoretically you could use dark spells and techniques, but you wouldn’t. All Eraqus sees in you is that you could theoretically draw your power from the moon, and demonises you. When it comes to me, all he sees is a savage unable to draw power from the sun, thus making me dangerous and not human. Implying all humans draw their power from the sun, which fits into a Keyblade Master’s narrow worldview. Where my affinity to the dark comes from? It’s most likely a leftover from the World Storm all those years ago. I was right in the middle of it.”

A leftover – that might have been indeed the answer. Isa wasn’t entirely convinced that this had driven his body to draw power from the dark rather than the light, and he didn’t know how this had and would affect his body in the future. Normally drawing from the dark changed the body of the person doing it, starting with the eyes. Isa was unchanged, however. Not a single of his eyes had turned golden like Ansem’s had, and there was no hint they would ever turn this stinging amber. Axel cleared his throat.

“Light’s made up of many colours, isn’t it? Is that why there’s a million different eye colours in the Realm of Light, but those closer to or born in the Realm of Darkness have yellow or red eyes? Is that the reason Heartless run around with those, too?”

“… Axel. Axel, how did you even know that people from the Realm of Darkness _exist_?”

The redhead only stared ahead blankly. He didn’t seem to remember how he knew, and Isa knew it was useless to ask now. He groaned in frustration.

 -

Golden eyes. Accompanied by a hundred, a million, too many to count more.

Ventus awoke with a start.

Vanitas jerked up in cold sweat.

Roxas and Xion merely screamed.

Axel snapped his eyes open in confusion.

Another person called for help as he woke up.

And yet another person raised a hand to her chest, trying to reach for a heart that no longer beat within her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy. this chapter got a lot fatter than i anticipated. anyway! plot's rolling. from here on i might actually change some significant things to make th fic work properly. it had a lot of plotholes due to my messy layout of my notes orz
> 
> i might get slower with chapters though. maybe significantly, maybe not. but i got a ps4. oop. thisll be a distraction to say the least.


	7. Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .... Phew. This chapter here was a drag, if nothing else. I just got incredibly stuck at some part, sorry that it took that long...
> 
> Other than that, it's the first chapter where a significant change was made - there used to be a small paragraph explaining something rather irrelevant, but I tossed it out to flesh out one of the other storylines a little...  
> And, uh. This one's.... long. It's almost twice the length of the original chapter.  
> I don't know what happened there.

“Isa” – Had he formerly been responsible for keeping track of my recovery, he’s now sort of my partner in crime. I can’t exactly say why I took him with me. To be honest, I think it was his vote of confidence and trust in me back when the Keyblade Wielders were about to decide what my fate would be. Isa’s the backbone I lack, he keeps on helping me back on my feet whenever I fall, and all he does is just staring at everything we pass with these wide eyes of a sheltered child. He knows the theory of how worlds are built, I know the stuff we need to survive out there. It’s like a match made in hell, or something like that. Furthermore Isa seems to be getting more confident being out of the castle. It’s kind of odd… was Ansem trying to keep him subdued in there as well as keeping him away from… something else?

-

“Golden Eyes” – One of three signs that someone is in close touch with the darkness. The other two signs are white hair and darker-than-usual skin. I think actual people born in the Realm of Darkness have black or silver hair rather than white, whereas silver seems to be more common than black hair. Using the darkness as someone from the Realm of Light slowly corrodes your ability to filter light and see during the day, while it strengthens your ability to see in and ignore the dark. Just spending a couple of years in the dark without using any powers drawn from the dark changes your eyes too. I think that’s how Ansem the Wise’s eyes went from brown according to Even to something resembling a rich amber tone.

-

“Terra” – A Keyblade Master hailing from the Land of Departure. He’s tall, strong and apparently hates Isa with a passion. How that came to be, I wonder. I don’t want to pry, though, so I haven’t really asked Isa about this yet. Terra might be a little on the slow side, and believes only the light to be the right choice, much like his Master does. … There was something odd about him, though. Something completely strange. The air around him was just… so full of loss?

-

“Eraqus” – Another Keyblade Master, once again hailing from the Land of Departure, and Terra’s teacher. He seems to be around Ansem’s age, but this man is completely narrow-minded and strict. Ansem’s strict, too, but you can discuss with that man. You can’t do that with Eraqus. He seems to think everything with the word “dark” in it is the worst thing ever and needs to be set on fire. Man, I’d love to hand him dark chocolate…

-

“Riku” – Terra’s pupil, and the third inhabitant of the Land of Departure. Apparently a Keyblade Master in the making. He’s young, seems rather freaked out by the dark in general and shares Terra’s strange air of loss. Actually, all people from the Land of Departure do.

-

“Aeleus and Dilan” – The Castle Guards, both large and bulky and kinder than they let on. Normally. I personally did not speak too much with them, considering they’re almost always outside the gates or somewhere in the city to follow their duties, but the few times I did speak with them they seemed alright. Rather friendly, actually. They also treated Isa rather nicely, constantly bringing him stuff from the city he specifically asked for. Just too bad they’re now our enemies. If they follow us and we have to fight them… I dunno if Isa could actually do it, and if he could, whether we would live through that battle or not.

-

“Land of Departure” – I finally understood. A Light Cycle is a specific batch of worlds. A certain world in perfect neutrality is chosen as the world to raise and teach Keyblade Wielders who restore and keep the peace in their Light Cycle. The Land of Departure is the one world which was chosen as such neutral ground in the Light Cycle Radiant Garden is in. There are more Keyblade Wielders in Light Cycles other than the ones from the general outpost, but those from these worlds are the most important ones. The largest schools and such.

-

“Keyblade” – My weapon, as it is that of Terra, Eraqus and Riku. Keyblade Wielders are not few in number, and therefore a Keyblade is a weapon seen in many worlds. Countless Wielders, scattered across the worlds… if they were to meet in one place… No, no that’s not a good thing to think about. It makes me nauseous, to be quite honest. Furthermore, Keyblades have names based on what Keychain is attached to them. The Keychain modifies the entire weapon to suit the Wielder according to his will. They’re also given names according to the current modification. Needless to say, I don’t know mine. I’d love to know… It could be an important hint.

-

“Keyblade Master” – The ones I’ve met so far in my new life have been horrible. Whether I met any before I lost my memory is, well, unknown, considering I don’t remember anything at all. Either way, Keyblade Masters seem to be stubborn, rather rude, and judge people based on observations of battle techniques rather than on what they say about themselves and what other people say about them. This term makes me want to throw up whenever I think about it too much.

-

“Heartless” – I dropped that word when talking with Isa. Apparently they are a race of… something. As the name suggests, they probably lack a heart… do they?

\--

_He had lost count of the days he had spent somewhere other than the Destiny Islands or the Land of Departure. It had most likely been years since he had last seen either of these worlds, and the Destiny Islands were lost forever to corrosion, anyway. His only memory of the world he had been born in was vague, like a gentle whisper in the dark, a bit of sun on a cold winter’s day. One moment he and Riku had been at home, laughing and thinking about how to coax his father into taking them to the island the next day, and all of a sudden the mood changed. The relaxed atmosphere changed to something much more sinister. The usual evening breeze turned into a maelstrom and ripped everything away. And he and Riku, they both ended up in the arms of young people led by an older man. They said something terrible had happened to home. That home was gone, and everyone they knew. But there was a way to bring back home, eventually, and they were offered to help this cause. Naturally they had agreed. They started training. They were six under the Master, the two oldest, one in the middle, and him, Riku, and this other girl. It was a happy time, much like how growing up had been like._

_And just like home it had ended almost suddenly, with the atmosphere changing. Six became five, and after three days the adults had shooed the kids into the giant castle, had forbidden them to leave, and took off to look for this other boy. They were gone almost a month, with only just one servant being left to make food for the kids. He and Riku and this girl became fast friends back then. Her name was Kairi, and she was positively radiant, even when she was crying alone in her bed out of fear due to the Master not being home. Apparently she had been raised in this place, knew every corner like it was her own pocket, and so the three of them had a lot of fun. They were friends; best friends._

_When the Master and the other two returned, something about them had changed. They looked worn, like they were living through a nightmare they already had once. The training started getting more serious. Not that the three kids minded this particularly, they were happy to have something to do, and the other two and the Master were always just, if sometimes a bit strict._

_Once again, days passed. Weeks flew, and months ticked by. Three years of normalcy, probably. Maybe four. Sora didn’t remember at this point, but the next change was rather dire. Just like the blonde boy before her, she vanished. Not for long, actually. She had just gone on a trip all on her own without ever telling anyone, but the damage had been done by then. She had left, and Sora decided it was his duty to look for her. He wanted to know where she was, what had whisked her away just like the blonde boy before her._

_She wasn’t officially his Master, she was not even officially a Master at all. But she was talented, just and kind, and it was only a matter of time before she would show the Mark of Mastery, just like Terra. But unlike Terra she spent time with Sora and Kairi rather than the much more talented Riku only. Aqua, whose voice was soft when needed, who knew a lot of strange stories about monsters and Princesses of Light, of Keyblade-bearing warriors and seers. She was a part of his family, the new family. And just like his old family she vanished all of a sudden. Gone, like the islands, like his parents. Of course a 10-year-old didn’t understand the point of sending someone off for a long time._

_And thus he started looking for her. Going from one world to the other isn’t hard with a Keyblade, and even young children manage it if they are determined enough. Compared to adults they were actually off better: A child’s heart was untouchable to the darkness of the Lanes Between until they reached the age of 12. After checking the worlds around the Land of Departure, Sora ventured even further away. He stepped into worlds they weren’t allowed to, saw things in worlds void of human lives that nobody had seen within the last 100 years._

_After a while he reached Traverse Town, a city that fascinated him. It was ever-changing, unfazed by all kinds of darkness. The people there fought against the darkness when too much surfaced at once, but they just lived life as well as they could after losing their homeworlds to the ever-expanding dark. With every new person came a piece from their world, clipped itself somewhere into Traverse Town. It made the city grow larger, it made it richer. There were plants from other worlds just in the middle of clashing building styles and architectural masterpieces next to small shacks made of wood. Sora spent a month there looking for people from the Destiny Islands, only to have his hope shattered. Not a single survivor other than Riku and him. The only last trace of the Destiny Islands were a few small trees budding. So small that he barely recognised them, only to realise those were Paopu Trees. Small and growing, but they were there. Sora realised how cut off from the worlds he actually felt, how much he missed home. Home – both the Destiny Islands, but also the Land of Departure._

_So he returned home._

_Aqua had been back by then. The brown-haired had expected stern words and being banished from training, but no such thing happened. Life continued as usual, but there was something else nagging Sora. He had seen the worlds. He knew there was so much more beyond the glittering stars in the night sky, and every night he spend looking up at the stars made his heart ache. Not even all the colours the Land of Departure had to offer, not even Riku and Kairi and Terra and Aqua and the Master had the ability to make his heart stop yearning to see more. Sora needed a home, yes, but he also needed the ability to travel more, to see more. Even on his eleventh birthday the Land of Departure felt dull, lifeless and cold. The perfect balance was, well, perfect, but Sora wanted to see other worlds. Beyond the veil that separated the Realm of Light from the Realm of Darkness, possibly._

_That night he snuck out._

_And that night was enough to ensure he would never return home._

_His memory of that day was vague. He had stumbled into a world, and someone else had been there. Whether this was all planned or not was beyond Sora, but as the brash child he was, he’d challenged the stranger to a fight after seeing his Keyblade. Everything after that was a big blank, but it was rather obvious that Sora had lost that fight._

_He woke up in a bleak place where the air tasted of sand and sadness. The sky had been grey and dull, and Sora almost started crying until a voice broke the silence._

_They had been quite a few – more than 20. Nobody but the twins had been from the same homeworld, and the only thing all of them shared had been the ability to use the Keyblade. Sora had been shocked to learn that there were people learning under other Masters – just the fact there were other Masters than Master Eraqus was enough to make the kid hold his breath. One of them was even just learning Lightlandish, which implied he was from the Realm of Darkness. His bright yellow eyes and deep black hair only made this fact much more obvious._

_None of them really knew why they were here, but it was most likely related to the Keyblades they all swung around and used for learning. Only their Ringleader knew. This tall, strong yet gentle young man. He was slightly younger than Aqua and Terra, but there was a certain glint in his eyes that made him look much different than the two students under Master Eraqus. There was a certain air of loss and anger around him, but the only emotion they ever got out of the Ringleader was either a laughing smile – whether fake or true was up for debate – or a grim stare._

_He only once met the other Ringleaders. Most outstanding of these had been 1-1. Not only because everyone seemed to listen to him, but also the fact that 1-1 was much shorter compared to everyone else. The other Ringleaders were young men and women, but 1-1 was the same age as Sora. A teenager, with a frigid expression and nothing but ice in his gaze, barely tall enough to look threatening compared to Ring 8’s Ringleader._

_And soon Sora would learn that Ring 8 was different than the other Rings, if only because of their Ringleader._

_Ring 8’s main focus was on survival, both in battle and in the wild. His number had been 22 at first, a rather high number compared to almost everyone else. Only a small girl with the number 23 had a higher number than Sora, as she had arrived here roughly a month after him._

_But, as implied by the name, being trained in survival meant a lot of suffering. Suffering which Sora endured with a stubborn determination. He had managed to get out of the Destiny Islands somehow, and the other worlds he had seen had taught him a lot. He was more than ready to prove his worth. It was his determination that made him befriend the Ringleader during one of their sessions. Sora had almost passed out from dehydration, but the Ringleader had just silently handed him the last of his water. It all happened with an optimistic grin and words of reassurance, and Sora felt ready to take on the world._

_Then the training started._

_Sora rose in number, climbing from 22 to 16 in merely two weeks. Eventually he switched numbers with an older girl because the Master had called for number 16 to be tested. The girl, number 13, had jumped to her feet and instead gone to this test. She never came back, and it started to dawn on Sora what happened to the missing numbers. They died._

_And the Ringleader, his smile started being more and more fazed, as if someone was slowly picking away pieces of his spirit. He started looking worn and lost weight. Eventually this man had become a wiry shadow of his former self, the odd proportions of his body sticking out even more thanks to the lost weight. At a certain point 8-1 lost his hopes for survival and spent three days away from the remaining twelve members of his Ring. When he came back the desperation had left for a certain sense of duty._

_They decided to leave. It had been Ryuu’s idea, but number 14 was no longer around to see this plan happening. Therefore the Ringleader had taken the idea and made a plan out of it – the very same Ringleader who was supposed to keep everyone in check and make sure they followed the rules._

_It was then Sora realised he was glad to have ended up under this lanky guy with his crooked smile and loud voice. He preferred him over the golden-eyed who was around Sora’s age._

_They should have probably seen an interruption coming. That the interruption would be this cruel was to be expected either, but none of them really anticipated it. Ring 3 was near that rift in the worlds, and naturally they noticed. A brawl happened which killed at least one other person, but Sora never noticed that._

_Along with the Ringleader, the twins, and three other people they fell into that rift. They tried grabbing each other’s hands, a desperate action to not fall apart. It was futile, as they soon realised thereafter._

_The unexpected part was that the Ringleader was the first to give up, with one of his crooked smiles and the first emotion other than anger and despair he had shown openly – his smile was sad, his eyes clouding over. He only muttered an apology before he let go, his quiet “Good luck” echoing in Sora’s ears even hours after he had woken up in this very world._

_The others were gone, naturally. The Ringleader was most likely dead, swallowed up by the Lanes Between. Roxas and Xion were bound to have ended up somewhere together thanks to the shared fate of twins. The rest remained a question mark on Sora’s checklist._

_And once more he found himself in a foreign place, staring up at the dull, lifeless and overcast skies._

_… The sky._

_But of course._

_He was trying to get the image of the golden eyes haunting him out of his mind that night and thus he stayed awake for quite a while. At some point he realised how strange the skies looked when they were overcast. A familiar feeling returned, gnawed at his insides for an hour before Sora sat up. Somewhere beyond the clouds the sun was rising, painting the dull clouds a strange shade of orange. And just for a moment he remembered watching the sun rise and set together with Riku and Kairi back in the Land of Departure. The colours were faded, and both his friends were nothing more than coloured specks with vague voices, but Sora remembered. He wanted to go home._

_He wanted to go home so bad it almost made his stomach upset. What a pathetic feeling for a 19-year-old to experience. But now he knew where he wanted to go, what he should do next._

_The Land of Departure._

_Maybe if he found the others on his way home he could bring them with him, introduce them to the Master. He imagined how this would be, just being back at home but with the friends and companions he knew now. Since he didn’t have a Keyblade Armour he would have to stop at every world he was in, other otherwise his natural protection against the dark would fail him and he would turn into a Heartless._

_But even turning into a Heartless seemed less frightening than 1-1’s glowing yellow eyes which haunted Sora in his dreams. Was going home a risk worth taking?_

_Sora simply smiled up at the overcast sky and stood up slowly._

-

Their inability to think of something to say after this little outburst was driving both of them mad. Isa had hoped to get a little more out of Axel and tried to make him remember. It was the first time Isa had used this kind of almost aggressive tactic, and of course Axel had recoiled into his shell. He remained angrily quiet as Isa was silently steaming and thinking.

The fact that Axel knew that much made it unlikely that he was just an unfortunate idiot who got pulled into a World Storm. Again the scholar theory bubbled up in his head, but Axel lacked everything else scholars had, even when they were hiding. Not even a scholar who wanted to stay undercover went without at the very least a notebook to write things down in. Other than his Keyblade Axel did not have anything when Isa and Ienzo had dragged him into the castle. Maybe he had been under a Keyblade Master, aiming for the Mark of Mastery. Again, unlikely. A million possibilities, and every new one made less sense than the one before. Furiously Isa decided to stop thinking and stomped around the camp they had set up in the meanwhile.

The day was almost over when he returned and came to the next absurd conclusion.

Was there a possibility that Axel had been training under a Master whose training goal was to break his student? It was the least likely out of them all, but Axel was always one for nasty surprises, so Isa didn’t immediately dismiss the thought. If this was the case, maybe Axel was a Nobody? It was all too easy to remove a heart with a Keyblade, and Isa raised a hand to his chest as if to keep his own heart in place.

Only once had Isa seen a Nobody, a Dusk. A grotesque creature which seemed to defy all logic, which also tore through Heartless as if they were nothing. A creature as vicious as a rabid dog, all just trying to seek a heart. Of course Axel would be one of the rare humanoid Nobodies, but just the fact that he could be lacking a heart was frightening.

The only thing worse than being split into a Heartless and Nobody would have to have your heart put to eternal sleep.

Isa shuddered, shaking his head. He had to stop making up horror stories when he was uncomfortable.

“Are you quite alright, Isa? If you’re cold we can move on to a warmer world.”

Isa’s head shot up to see Axel just sitting opposite him, a slightly concerned frown on his face. Upon seeing Isa’s startled reaction he just tilted his head a little.

“N-No. I’m good. This world’s really nice and warm. I’m just overthinking things, you know.”

“You too, huh. I’ve been thinking as well. Hell, maybe we’re both thinking about the same thing. But, basically. A Heartless is a creature created when a person loses their heart, right? The heart without a body creates a new body out of darkness. Whereas the body might continue to move, effectively becoming a Nobody. It’s linked to the soul remaining in there, of course, and based on willpower, but the body can move. Both are creatures without emotion.”

Axel was quite right to assume they were thinking about the same thing, but Isa listened closely anyway. There was something about the other’s tone that made him wonder. A few moments later his doubts washed away – what kind of fool was he, anyway?

“Yes. You’re correct. But I really doubt you’re a Nobody. You clearly show emotion; Nobodies fake theirs based on their memories. You lost yours, therefore have no way of drawing any sort of base for yours. Yet you showed emotion from the moment you woke up in the castle. Hell, even before Ienzo and me dragged you there you were in emotional turmoil. You’d be blank if you were a Nobody. Absolutely blank.”

“… Well, but what if Heartless show emotion and nobody ever found out?”

“Then you would crave to tear my chest open and rip my heart out. Given you’ve tried no such thing on me I am rather confident that you are a Somebody. … Honestly, you’ve attacked me less in the time you’ve been around me than Even tried in those entire 15 years I spent at the castle.”

The redhead let out a barking laugh before falling silent again. A few minutes passed like this until Axel looked up once more. “Sorry for… well, uh, kidnapping you. Or adultnapping you? I acted like someone was remote-controlling me and I just…”

Isa waved both arms wildly with a laugh. “Are you crazy? This is the best thing that ever happened to me in my miserable 25-years-lasting life, hands down.”

Both men burst into laughter. Axel eventually leaned backwards to look up into the night sky. Isa just looked up a moment later. The silver glimmering up there was rather fascinating to watch, even though the thought of all of these stars being a world was frightening in a way. There was no way to count all of these, and all of these held their own small world. There were people living in many of these, but equally many held nothing but the silence of a world void of human life, sometimes even without animals and such. Countless universes that once had been one, torn apart by a war countless eons ago. So long ago that the exact location of the Keyblade Graveyard had been lost to even the most renowned of Keyblade Schools and Watching Posts. Even though it was supposed to be within this Light Cycle. Something that was rather weird to think about. An ancient fighting place, lying somewhere among the worlds that Eraqus and the Land of Departure’s other people watched over?

The one true Kingdom Hearts was somewhere out there as well, right underneath everyone’s noses but unreachable by design. No light reached it, but no darkness as well, as it was hidden in dense and thick neutrality. Neutrality to intense was something Isa had never thought to be imagining in a different world, but it made a cold shudder run down his spine.

“… You are cold, aren’t you.” Axel stood up and sat down next to Isa, much to the latter’s surprise. Even more surprising was the fact that Axel took off the scarf he’d been wearing since they met. Isa had never once seen him without that thing slung around his neck.

It became apparent why this was the case just a few seconds later. Even though the light was dim Isa managed to make up a scar on the other’s neck. Before he could make out the exact shape Axel placed a hand on it and rubbed his neck there. For some reason both were suddenly filled with a certain sense of dread, a certain kind of fear.

“Uhm…”

He sounded uneasy, and Isa bit his lip.

“I’ll… take that scarf back. Like… I’m not cold, but. I… I don’t know but I feel like something’s going to happen if I don’t put it back in in the next five minutes. Like. Something terrible.”

Isa wordlessly handed the scarf back and watched as Lea slung it around his neck again, covering up the scar. Only now he realised that there had to be a certain kind of spell woven into the fabric. Maybe Axel would remember what that spell was one day. It seemed powerful, to say the least.

It was quite certain that Axel did not know this spell.

They continued silently looking at the stars until they fell asleep.

 -

_It was the first time since the incident that she had seen these yellow eyes. An endless stream of them, pouring over her, wrapping her up completely, tugging at her clothes, digging through her skin until they finally found what they sought and what made her a Somebody._

_Somewhere beneath the agony that dying was, she split. The heart joined those yellow eyes and blubbered away into the darkness. She however remained, silently and unfeeling as she stood up. Even though she was void she knew she hated every single one of them – Heartless, Nobodies, but most of all herself. She had been too weak, her light had not burned strong enough to last her through this attack. She was definitely not used to being helplessly overpowered, to her spells not responding the moment she called upon them._

_Three months into being a Nobody, and Aqua had condemned her human self for being weak. She had gone on an almost mindless rampage, desperately searching for the heart she had lost. Somewhere underneath the apathy she was still in agony, still mad with fear and grief. Her Keyblade ended hundreds of Heartless before she found the one that took off with her heart. Her heart was all she wanted to have back from her previous life. Not even finding Sora, her main priority when she had encountered the bulk of Heartless in a falling world, seemed half as important as getting back her heart in that moment._

_It was the fastest she had ever killed a Heartless, not even giving it a second to even realise who was standing there. Keyblade tearing through darkness eventually released the heart. She waited for the Keyblade to get back what she had lost. Return her heart._

_But instead of becoming whole again, the heart just floated up and up until she lost sight of it. She was left staring up into the sky with only her apathy to keep her company. Her heart was gone, gone forever, she assumed, and all hope she had left floated away just like her heart had not too long ago. She had never once seen the books Ansem owned but kept away from the Keyblade Wielders due to either pride or fear of information mismanagement. Either way, Aqua did not know that Nobodies regained their hearts over time, even creating a new one to suit them better than the old one. But even if she had known she would have probably let out a scream of betrayal as she did in that moment._

_Her heart was still gone._

_And no matter where she looked once she pulled herself together again, she never found it again._

_Worlds filled with light held absolutely no answer. Worlds in between light and dark like the Land of Departure did not give her any leads. Worlds of utter darkness whispered things in a language she did not understand._

_After a while Aqua washed up where all Nobodies ended up eventually. A world that had never really been and that would never truly be – just like the Nobodies that settled there. It was quite fitting they called it The World that Never Was, she thought when she heard that name first._

_A month after settling in there she other Nobodies should decide that in case of crisis or battles of different kinds, Aqua should lead them. There were no other Nobodies with a Keyblade, so naturally most of these placed their trust in this woman among them._

_After a while she started getting more and more information. One day she learned that someone from a world called Garden of Circles had known a Keyblade Wielder like Aqua. She had barely been more than a child, but one day she just vanished. Not a single person ever saw this child again, and shortly after her a group of three vanished from the 4 th Garden. A royal-blooded upperclassman, a middleclass musician and a lower-class thunder mage. The information didn’t stop at just these disappearances. Other Nobodies reported similar things happening in their homeworlds, even those from worlds where Keyblade Wielders were persecuted out of fear. Once the Keyblade Wielders were gone it was easy for darkness to seep into the Realm of Light, in turn creating more and more Heartless and sometimes Nobodies. Most of the Nobodies were these grotesque Dusk creatures anyway, but they had still been people at some point, after all._

_Aqua loathed this situation._

_He hated it, even though the feeling of “hatred” was a concept now foreign to her. She drew all of it from a hazy memory attached to a person offering her a hand, to a person who promised to help her. It turned out a lie, and Aqua had been one of three survivors of that day after she spent a few years in the balance that was the Land of Departure. She and the other students. At the end it had only been her and the other student. It was where she drew this feeling from, and she projected it onto everything. She hated everything about this situation and the way it had happened to so many people – she was absolutely sure the same thing had happened to Sora as well. If this had never happened to Sora she would have never told her Master to leave her alone and take off to look for the boy herself. Without any of this she would not be sitting here, a Keyblade Wielder in training who lost her heart. She would be a Keyblade Master now, probably offering Sora the last lessons before his Mark of Mastery. The kid had been talented, after all._

_Someone or something out there was collecting Keyblade Wielders, and young ones at that._

_Whatever their goal, they were collecting them like stickers and possibly raising them like a Master. Raising them to be warriors in an army, most likely. An army made of Keyblade Wielders and a couple other people who were talented in their own ways._

_Aqua collected a few names from her fellow Nobodies and made a list._

_Lumaria, Edmy and Relena had been from the Garden of Circles, as well as the mysterious female Keyblade Wielder whose name not a single person from the Garden of Circles remembered._

_Sora, her own student to be. Everything about his sudden disappearance just fit into this list._

_Another person mentioned something about a “Vanitas”. A peculiar case, that person said, since he had just been a brash child that had lost almost his entire family within a week and then suddenly vanished when he tried getting something from the mountain. His brother vanished a few years later as well, effectively wiping out the Keyblade bloodline of this world._

_Another Nobody muttered something about having met a young man once whose entire aura made him seem to be challenging the sun above their heads._

 -

The next world they landed in was vastly different than Radiant Garden and the one they had been in before. The weather in Radiant Garden was always mild and never required anything other than more or less light summer clothing – snow was something just the farthest reaches of the world Radiant Garden was located in experienced. Way past the endless stretch of water, up in the highest mountains, maybe. But the city itself never experienced snow, people just vaguely knew what it looked like from books they read. Everyone made up stories about snow. It was a myth, a mere construction to some children.

This world, however, was stunning, to say the least. The sun did not seem to exist at all, just a vague bright shape behind countless brilliantly white flakes slowly falling to the ground already covered in it. Behind a curtain of equally brilliantly white clouds the sun hung, something that Isa only knew as a sign for a thunderstorm, given that Radiant Garden was warm and the only way rain fell there was through storming. There was almost no warmth other than the body heat Axel and Isa were losing rapidly. The winds were chilly and carried no scent of spring. There were no plants here, just rocks bizarrely cutting through the thick snow mantle and large blocks of ice equally jutting out through the blanket of white. Every sound was muffled, and it was so unlike anything Isa had ever heard or seen. He probably looked like a fool wandering around here with his teeth clattering but his eyes wide open in astonishment.

This world looked like nothing could live in it, other than snow and ice. Yet there were pathways in the snow, trodden on regularly to keep them even. Whatever these animals were, they had to be giant, judging from the sheer size of the footprints. Giant animals walking among endlessly high walls of frozen water. It was the most surreal experience Isa ever had, and he had had quite a few in his life so far.

On the second day in this harsh climate, something else happened to make this world even more stunning than it already was. The steady fall of snow ceased, and the clouds parted slightly. The sun was something Isa had always disliked. Radiant Garden was warm, everyone loved the sun there. It made this whole world he had grown up in sparkle in a harsh golden light that burned Isa’s eyes. But in this snowy world the sun changed things. Of course the light was golden here too, but the brilliant white broke that light in such an odd way that everything turned even whiter. The dull white suddenly seemed to be alive, yet none of the snow really melted underneath these feeble rays of sunlight. It also made clear that aside from the animal paths that Axel and Isa were following, the snow beside that was untouched, undisturbed. Apparently these animals had been here for longer than imaginable and were following ancient paths.

The second night covered everything in a cold layer of silence, and the snow started again. Even though it was pitch black outside, everything seemed to have been run through a strange grey filter. It was dark, but at the same time wasn’t completely dark. Rather fascinated by this, Isa reached out to brush the snow, expecting it to turn into some magical creature. Naturally no such thing happened, it was merely frozen water.

He had to remind himself that they were running away. That there were people after them who would most likely kill Axel at the first chance they got, and then would drag Isa back into the golden cage he had been freed from. A cruel judgement for monsters that fled, for calling upon the dark rather than the light. But even Isa, who felt more comfortable in the dark like it was now than he had ever been under Radiant Garden’s equally radiant sun, knew that running away would get easier once he stopped gawking at the beauty of the worlds they passed. It was just harder than anticipated.

Axel seemed to be lost in his own world of thoughts, however. The yellow eyes that haunted his dreams seemed to chase him into the waking world as well. He felt as if there was someone following him, except that it wasn’t Isa with his slow pace or the fact that there were people from the Land of Departure hunting them. No, it was unlikely that any of these people had these golden eyes. Isa drew his powers from the dark, alright, but he had an inner balance that many others lacked. And the people from the Land of Departure had been blinded by their own precious light so much that any of them having yellow eyes was unlikely. Which meant there was someone else who chased him, someone he didn’t quite remember. Other people who used the darkness in a way unlike Isa did. They did with malice, with the desire to destroy, and it corroded their body enough to show signs of turning into Heartless. But they were still stuck in human bodies, with their hearts in the body rather than dislocated and covered in a dark shell.

The longer he thought about this the more confused he became. There had to be humans who willingly let darkness corrode their appearance until they looked like cheap copies of people truly born in the Realm of Darkness. Axel knew, for some reason, that dark skin was a sign of darkness corrosion if it was not natural. In the Dark Realm there were no people with natural dark skin – the lack of light made it impossible for them to tan, at all. People truly born on the other side of the border were more like Isa in appearance – light skin with all sorts of dark hair colours, the most common being dark blue and black. They also had pointy ears and brightly yellow eyes, something that Isa lacked. Furthermore Isa’s hair was way too light to be truly related to darkness, anyway. It was most likely related to the fact he drew his powers from the moon, and tried to keep his own darkness in check at any given time. It was impressive to meet someone in such cold control of himself. Which made the fact he was a berserker even more bewildering. Berserkers were rare, yes, but even rarer than that were ones who could willingly enter and leave that status. Isa appeared to be one of these people. Maybe it was related to the fact he had 15 long years to perfect this ability. That seemed the most likely.

If one had asked Axel what he would have done, then he would have answered blind revenge. For some reason it seemed absurd to him that someone would wait out 15 years alone with the ghosts of their past, along people who would not let them battle said ghosts.

He looked at Isa almost carefully. The blue-haired’s eyes were wide and still seemed to be taking in the snow around them. At some point he stopped, threw his head back to look at the sky. It had stopped snowing again, and the clouds parted slightly. A dark stretch of sky was up there, reminding them that the second day in this world was coming to a close. And somewhere in this open stretch of sky shone the reminders they were not alone here, that there was much more beyond the veil of this small, cold world. This world was not supposed to be seen by humans, as all human settlers seemed to have died out after the Keyblade War. These pathways were not for human feet, and suddenly Axel felt even more like a violator of rules than he had before.

Technically, after the Keyblade War, was there even any reason to grant humans the ability to wield one? Why hadn’t the children, in their uncorrupted pureness, resurrected the world without the weapons they knew had destroyed their home, plunged it into a dark black sea? Axel wrecked his head on this one, and came to the realisation that he knew nothing about Keyblades, the reason he was here with one. He was unfit to be a Wielder in his current state, and he honestly wished he could just pass this weapon on to Isa. Isa seemed much more fit to hold this thing in his hands, to swing it around an open the path he wanted to walk. Maybe it was just based on the fact that Isa seemed to know something about anything due to reading.

Axel cracked a smile as they continued walking. For some reason it felt right being here, leading the way as Isa followed, both completely lost in their thoughts. They hadn’t said a single word in hours, and the night was just continuing on slowly. It just felt so right to be walking here, nothing but the stars above their heads—

And it happened again. Axel stopped dead and clutched his head with a groan. A long string of images that rushed through his head, making no sense whatsoever because he had no context for them. Broken screams and yelling; a vast and empty yellow-brownish place; faceless people who had their features turned to him; crying; a hand reaching out in the dark… and suddenly it was over. Axel blacked out, staggering around a bit before falling over.

…

Isa had been looking at something behind him. A cold thud reminded him that he was not alone in this world, and when he turned his head back around, reality came back like a slap in the face. Suddenly the snow was just cold and harsh and unforgiving, and reality kept twisting that dagger made of ice deeper into Isa’s back.

“Axel?”

He got no response other than a muffled groan, and this was all Isa needed as an answer. They wouldn’t be able to continue onwards like this. Especially not considering Axel was the one with the Keyblade, and Isa knew it took him at least three hours to recover whenever something in his missing memories sparked an short-circuited like that.

Isa managed to set up a makeshift camp in a much smaller, less used pathway. Apparently only younger or other creatures used it, and it had not been used in a long while judging from the snow that had settled down there. He watched one of the huge ones trod down the path that he had dragged Axel out of not too long ago. Just thinking about how he would not have been able to avoid this creature made him shiver, along with the cold finally seeping through his mind and body.

The snow gleamed brilliantly white, and Isa looked up at the sky again. Even the stars seemed to look brilliantly white from here, and Isa suddenly realised with a pang he missed Radiant Garden. From there, everything looked warmer, milder. No harsh winds blew except when a storm was going on. The nights were warm, not as dark, and even the stars seemed to reflect that by glittering in the sky with a golden glow. He missed the bright and warm colours in this endlessly white stretch of land ahead and around him.

He had always longed to leave it, but after not even a week he found himself wishing he could be back home, if only for a few minutes so he could breathe in the familiar air.

“… You’re homesick, aren’t you?”

Isa cringed guiltily and looked down to where Axel was lying.

“There’s a certain kind of longing on your face.”

“When did you decide to wake up again?” Maybe Isa could change the topic quickly.

“I dunno. Maybe I wasn’t completely unconscious and just refused to move. But could you answer me initial question, please?”

Silence. Isa struggled to not think about how beautiful Radiant Garden would be now. Storm season was over, which meant that things were smoothing into bloom season. That meant that there would be more flowers than usual, and the city would be decorated with colourful flags and such to celebrate what was his homeworld’s most important holiday. The holiday which celebrated flowers and the Princess of Heart which was always a resident of Radiant Garden. Even without the titular Princess of Heart, this holiday was the most important event in the year, and even inside the castle Isa had always managed to somehow be part of it. People were allowed in the castle that time of the year. Which meant he was less lonely, if only for a day. He shook his head.

“… I see. I could take you ho—“

“ _No_! I mean, no. Do anything you want to do. Leave me behind here, for all I care, or use me as a bargaining chip to buy your own freedom from our pursuers, I don’t care. But don’t take me back there. Not yet. Radiant Garden is my home, yes, and I kind of admit I miss it, but… if you bring me back now I’ll be locked away again. Forever this time. I’ve never been outside, and I know I’m more trouble than I’m worth, but… Even being locked in there would be less horrible if you’d just be allowed to stay with us. This… this time you were there, with us, was honestly the best time I had in my life since I was a child. I don’t want to return to those halls, where the walls just remind me that I failed as a human being and a friend. Not on my own.”

 -

_Things in Radiant Garden changed. Two weeks had gone flying past, and Ienzo just watched everything in a daze. All former and current guards had been called together and the castle was busier than ever before. Apparently Ansem suspected some sort of attack now that someone from the inside was out. Maybe he even suspected Axel to have been a spy all along._

_Ienzo merely shook his head. He had not seen the others in a few days, and it was getting dreadfully boring to just sit in the library all day. He was starting to understand how cornered Isa had felt after a while – the main difference being that Isa had endured this for 15 years, not three days. It was a testimony to Isa’s inhuman endurance, his high toleration levels. And it got even more impressive the longer Ienzo thought about it._

_He shut the book and sighed, which caught the attention of one of the guards standing in this place. Ienzo looked up to meet this man’s eyes, and the man shrugged._

_“Are you feeling quite alright?”_

_“Huh? Oh, yeah, of course.”_

_“Your expression’s almost the same as my son’s when he feels guilty about something, so I was just wondering… … Please, don’t look at me like that, Young Master. You should know there are not exactly purely human beings that call Radiant Garden their home.”_

_Ienzo blinked. He’d not considered the brilliantly white hair odd, or the fact that this entire man seemed to be made of marble. But he’d thought that this person was just about Isa’s age, not a father._

_“… Anyway, looks like my shift’s over. Whatever got the Lord that fired up, it sure must be nasty. That World Storm that hit us four days ago and ravaged the Outer Gardens until nothing was left sure added fuel to the fire.” He waved his hand around and opened the library door, only to leave as quietly and lightly as if he was not wearing armour at all. Ienzo was left behind with his thoughts._

_An hour passed, and all he got was a slight headache. He needed fresh air, and that fast._

_The place closest to this library was the Cycle Garden. Ienzo never quite liked this place, unlike Isa, but it was better than opening a window and leaning out of that. He strolled past guards and mages casually, watched as the hurried down the halls. Eventually he reached the door and pushed it open, only to be hit by a draft of unusually cold air. Something in Radiant Garden was changing, and that fast. It was unpleasant._

_He opened his eyes, only to realise something else in this garden had changed. Normally it had been Isa, or later Isa and Axel who had wasted time in this place. Now that they were gone, nobody but the gardener had dared setting a foot in here in these two weeks, but even that man had left the garden alone after four days._

_Now someone was standing in front of the Undying, putting a hand on the old bark of the tree that guarded this place._

_Ienzo had never seen this girl before, actually. Her hair was red and loosely fell over her shoulders. Her clothes looked foreign, yet seemed to implement a few accessories native to Radiant Garden. He shook his head and took a loud step forward to alert her of his presence, and she turned around. The confusion on her face turned to relief once she realised he was no castle guard._

_“… Good afternoon.”_

_“… Good afternoon back. What are you doing in this place?”_

_She looked around. “I needed some fresh air. The castle’s great and all, but after a while it feels like you’re being choked alive by its walls.”_

_It was something that Isa had said about the castle in the past as well, and Ienzo just bit his lip. Now that Isa was gone he started to understand how the other had felt this entire time, and even this stranger seemed to understand that better than Ienzo ever had. Sure, they had grown up like siblings, but in the end Ienzo and Isa were… what had they been? Friends? The young man shook his head and focused back on the stranger. Something about her seemed familiar._

_“… Are you Ienzo?”_

_“… Yes, that’s my name. And you are…?”_

_“Kairi.”_

_The name rang a bell, but for now Ienzo’s mind surprisingly refused to spit out the information related to this name in particular. Actually, everything was turning, now that he thought about it. With a sigh, he sat down on the grass and crossed his legs._

_Kairi herself looked concerned and stepped away from the Undying. “Are you okay?” she asked, and received only a non-committal noise as reply. She took this as a half-baked answer and walked up to Ienzo. She sat down, also crossing her legs._

_Ienzo’s rather fine nose was already working out why she seemed familiar. She smelled like the people from the Land of Departure did, almost sickly sweet. Which meant she was a Keyblade Wielder of sorts. Just like another redhead he knew, but unlike Axel Kairi did not smell of soot and sand. She just seemed to radiate some odd light of sorts._

_Tim slowly ticked by as the two of them sat there, until finally Kairi let out a small laugh. Ienzo looked at her and raised an eyebrow._

_“This place is supposed to be my home… but all I gather is that people here are either worried, or in your case, sad. It’s like I never left the Land of Departure. Master Eraqus, Master Terra and Riku always looked worried, and I was always sad.”_

_“…”_

_“Did someone recently disappear from here, Ienzo?”_

_“… How on earth did you guess that?”_

_“The people who truly live in the castle always look around slightly. Like they’re expecting someone to be there, for someone to come around the corner in a hurry or in a bad mood. We do it too, back at the Land of Departure. Master Eraqus especially. We all look for people that haven’t been here for a while.”_

_She fell silent and sat up straight. She hugged her legs to herself and sighed. “I barely even know Aqua and Ventus, but Sora was my age. We were… we were like siblings, but after he vanished I had idea whether we were friends, siblings, or just two strangers in the same place who teamed up.”_

_“… I know how you feel.” Kairi looked up when Ienzo started speaking. “Isa was always there, just… doing whatever he was doing. But now he’s vanished without a trace, and… I find myself looking for him more often than I want to admit. It’s like his ghost’s still there, but Isa himself is missing.”_

_Silence. They were sitting there as time passed. At some point the light suddenly vanished and the wind started getting stronger, and Ienzo got up. He offered her a hand._

_“Sounds like a storm’s brewing up. Let’s head back inside.”_

_She took the offered hand, and once they were back inside the castle Ienzo remembered that the Princess of Light born in Radiant Garden who had been given to the Land of Departure for security reasons had been called Kairi._

_-_

_The first thing most of the people in this place remembered was a storm. A storm that brewed up suddenly and struck viciously. A storm accompanied by Heartless pouring out of rips in what seemed to be the fabric of time and space. Heartless pouring from the clouds themselves. They vanished as soon as the storm ceased, but they were there to wreak havoc upon the world they entered through this tactic, and so they did. Sometimes some unfortunate fools got stuck in these rips and got pulled out into the Lands Between, however. Sometimes whole chunks of a world got devoured and plunged into darkness, sometimes the whole world did not last. The fact that Radiant Garden withstood a couple of these was astounding. Not that he knew about that._

_In his case, it had struck the 4 th Garden suddenly. At night nobody assumed such a thing would happen, so he had used the occasion to meet his friends. Just the fact that someone from the royals had friends outside the usual social circle would have gotten all three of them executed, but neither of them really cared about that. Something drew them to each other like moths to the light. Lumaria just barely managed to sneak past the guards and such, and therefore they generally met in the garden outside, just below his room’s window. Relena was a common street rat, as they called people outside the general families. Whether she was the daughter of someone high-ranking or a prostitute mattered little, she was just out there, fighting for herself. Interestingly enough these people generally became rather persistent mages with a lot more endurance than the ones that learned how to wield magic properly. Edmy came from a very normal family, not well-off but not poor either. Those people were generally there for the fine arts – or they worked in the gardens surrounding the settlements._

_The night they met up again was an unusual night in many ways. Lumaria’s memory regarding the exact events was fuzzy at best and had complete holes at worst. All he knew was that they, too, had been caught in a storm. Like every other member of Ring 0._

_If they ever were to return home, they would most likely be executed. Lumaria for treason against the royal family, and Edmy and Relena for kidnapping a royal. Maybe it was good they didn’t return home. But, like everyone, eventually they started to miss home. No matter how useless and boring home was, it was still home. And after they became the first three members of Ring 0 they knew that death was the only way out of here, and the only way after reaching home again._

_Unlike the other members. Most of those people, kids even, had family who would welcome them back. And thus the three decided not to work only for themselves, but rather for the ones that came after them._

_Tracing the source of everyone ending up here was easy. World Storms, naturally. The source of these however was harder to trace. There were natural ones, yes, but a World Storm was easy to create artificially. All it needed was a Keyblade…_

_Lumaria leaned back and crossed his arms. He was frowning, once more thinking about what he had been told. Vanitas had mentioned a World Storm hitting his home not only once. It had happened repeatedly, up to the point it cost his father his life. Shortly after that his mother’s way home had been cut off by one as well. Well, the direct path at least. The much longer and more dangerous one through the hanging cliffs had still been available. All things considered, she had most likely tried taking this path to return to her children. But, as expected, she had never made it home. Growing more and more impatient, Vanitas had set out to meet her halfway. He had only been twelve back then, but his brother only four. Vanitas knew he could manage without a mother since he’d learned how to handle a Keyblade under his father’s directions. But his brother needed at least one parent. Asking his neighbours to take care of Ventus he’d set out. And, much like his parents before him, never returned home to the small mountain village. He’d been half dead and starved by the time another World Storm struck nearby, and when Vanitas had just been wishing for a quick end, someone had appeared and stopped the darkness. Vanitas had no idea what accepting this stranger’s help would mean, but he’d been desperate at the time. Desperate enough to follow this man into a rather glum fate. Right Hand, 1-1, the Ringleader infamous among everyone who unfortunately lived here. Most of his arrogance and self-confidence was a mask, one that lay even above the actual one he wore in order to conceal the fact he did not age. And all of that to keep his brother safe._

_Yes, Ventus. How the kid had ended up here was a mystery. According to Vanitas he’d barely left home as a kid, but all he could speak for was essentially the baby brother he vaguely remembered. Lumaria had overheard Left Hand talking about how easy it had been to pluck “that kid” out from where he’d lived. But, all things considered, it remained vague how Ventus had ended up here. Why he was here was clear – he, too, bore a Keyblade. And he was an excellent bait to keep Vanitas, who was growing more and more aggressive the more time he spent Undying, in check._

_The Keyblade. It was what connected all the people in this place. From the relaxed 8-1 to the constantly crying 3-13, the cruel 2-3 to the gentle 13-10… all these people had Keyblades. Whether 8-1 was alive or not was unknown, though._

_When one collected all known homeworlds from the people all over the barren stretch of land, it became clear that most of them were not even from the same Light Cycle. Some were not even from a Light Cycle at all, but instead came from one of the small settlements apparently scattered throughout the Realm of Darkness. 5-9 certainly looked like she was from there, with long dark hair, piercing yellow eyes and very light skin._

_Lumaria almost dozed off thinking about this, when suddenly something was knocked against his head._

_“0-1! Get up or you’re sleeping with the fishes next time!”_

_Internally he rolled his eyes, then opened them slowly and shrugged._

_“Wouldn’t calling it napping six feet under be much more appropriate, considering there are no fish here?”_

_“Would you rather be shot at dawn?”_

_“No, no. I’m coming.”_

_He stood up and lazily followed Left Hand out. The man was in a good mood, surprisingly. If he’d been in a bad mood, Lumaria might as well be knocked out and bleeding on the floor. Which was… unpleasant, to say the least. The last thing Lumaria needed now was a concussion. 0-0, Left Hand… Honestly, this man was worse than what everyone with a Keyblade speculated him to be. But alas, this man was only unleashed on the people without a Keyblade._

_Therefore, Ring 0. They just had to endure it. It would all be over soon._

 -

“You know, I always imagined snow to be different. It doesn’t snow at all in the main city. Even beyond the Grand Lake and in the mountains there’s barely any of it. Radiant Garden’s just too warm, and the main island the capital is located on is just too warm, entirely. Snow’s just some kind of an urban legend back there, something to scare little children to bed with. I only heard horror stories about it being cold enough to let everything wither in its wake, leaving nothing but endlessly vast white as the world underneath it went to sleep. But this world here, it’s… It’s kind of different. Maybe it wasn’t designed to be utterly cold, but it’s cold enough for snow. When you take a look around all you see is bright white, but it’s somehow comforting to look at. Not this space-devouring evil mass that children get told about in Radiant Garden. As if there’s a heart beating under the bright white, only waiting for someone to come dig it out.”

They were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder where Isa had dragged the both of them earlier and they were watching as the sky slowly turned lighter. The stars still continued to shine above their heads until finally the barely seen sun swallowed them up with its light. The sunset was nothing spectacular, but they enjoyed this moment. Isa and Axel were both less tired than they were before – they had both needed that break, but either of them would have refused it if Axel had not collapsed. But, as usual, Isa had started thinking. Axel was still a mystery, a stranger whose past and name he did not know.

A stranger who had bailed him out of his golden cage, no less.

Considering they were both on the run, Isa did not owe anything to Axel other than a “thank you” for getting him out of the castle. But it was like someone had broken the chains around his feet and he was finally walking around freely for the first time in 15 years. The longer he thought about this, the further away went the memory of Ansem and the others.

“Well Isa, I mean, we would probably find a heart if we dug long enough. All worlds have hearts, after all. Where it is and how to get there depends on the worlds themselves. But, maybe, because we’re both from the Realm of Light, we’ll have a hard time finding a heart of light. We could pass a million Princesses of Light and would not realise we’d just passed them, because light does not beget light. Now if there was something like a Princess of Darkness, then we’d recognise them immediately. Darkness does beget light, just as light begets darkness… Well, maybe they only do so in the current world. A lot changed, after all.”

“… Yeah. The Keyblade War sure messed up the world as it was back then…”

“The Keyblade… War?”

“I haven’t actually read much about it. There’s a lot of theory on it, but nothing explains what truly happened back then. All I know is that at some point the darkness took over and plunged everything into an eternal darkness, sealing away countless elements that made up the world. It was left in the hands of children uncorrupted by darkness to rebuild things as they knew it. But they were too little, and the darkness was too plenty. So they built walls around what they rebuilt and left everything as it was. And Kingdom Hearts – the reason this war had been fought – vanished somewhere in the darkness that still divides everything.”

Axel nodded. He turned his gaze to the ground. He was sitting on snow, but it felt not cold at all. Strange.

He’d heard of Kingdom Hearts before, and something about this term made him extremely uneasy. Kingdom Hearts… it made a cold shiver run down his spine. Where out there had he heard of this thing? Who had told him all these things, and why did he remember only snippets and bits of it, always in a moment he could not need it?

He had to stop brooding about this, and turned his head to look at Isa. Isa was still watching the sun rise properly, a faint smile on his face. Axel, too, could not help but smile at this almost childish expression on the other’s face.

“You know, if everything I did so far was a mistake, dragging you out here was a good thing. You could honestly light up Radiant Garden at night with that smile.”

“… Wha!?”

“Ahaha, just kidding.”

Isa stood up and shook his head. He looked rather flustered all of a sudden.

“Let’s get going… Let’s just… go.”


	8. As Night falls

“Isa” – The person who took care of me during my stay in Radiant Garden, though he was something akin to Ansem’s prisoner himself. He’s kind of stoic usually, not letting anyone understand what he thinks unless he explicitly shares his thoughts. He’s also incredibly intelligent, even though he hides it under sarcasm whenever he doesn’t feel like sharing information. We seem to be around the same age. I decided to take him with me in my mad dash for freedom, and to be honest I am glad I did. Neither him nor me know what to make of this, but whatever weakness one has, the other manages to even out the odds. Actually, the longer I think about it, the happier I am that I took him with me. We make a good team, and he’s managed to somehow sneak his way into my head. I’d trust him blindly, honestly. How come? Did I know someone like him before I lost my memories, or am I just becoming an overly attached amnesiac?

 -

“Lea” – Strange. I definitely heard that name before in my life. Somewhere. Sometime. I cannot recall at all, but I might have known a Lea at some point. Either way, this particular Lea here used to be Isa’s best friend, until events most unfortunate took his life, and Isa’s freedom with it.

 -

“Keyblade War” – The reason for the worlds being as separated as they are nowadays as well as the reason for Keyblades as they still exist to this day to be created in the first place. In an attempt to take over Kingdom Hearts, countless people with Keyblades gathered in an unspecified place and fought. The winner was supposed to be the one to get what they wanted from Kingdom Hearts, but all they got in the end was an endless sea of darkness which swallowed up everything. How many people with or without Keyblades died during the war is unknown, as very few post-war scriptures still exist. Most of them were burned at some point, to keep the foolish from attempting to recreate this very war, and to keep the knowledge of where the ancient battleground is sealed away. Isa knows extremely little about it than common lore, and for some reason thinking about this makes me feel like I’m going to throw up.

 -

“Kingdom Hearts” – A fabled existence, whether land or simply a gathering of myriads of hearts. It used to be the literal heart of the ancient civilisations before the Keyblade War, and was the cause and end of said war. It used to be protected by a counterpart, the something-Blade, I think… Either way, Kingdom Hearts has been long lost in the seas of the unknown darkness spreading in the Realm of Light, somewhere submerged in the Lanes Between. Many people however doubt the claim by inhabitants of the Realm of Darkness that they have no idea where Kingdom Hearts is. I believe they do not know. For… some reason I just do.

 -

“Keyblade” – A weapon, created in ancient times to fight a war. Only strong-willed people with a good heart can be passed a Keyblade through a certain ceremony. Another kind of wielder includes people who are born with a certain mark on their hands, barely noticeable by normal people. I have this mark, too… though it’s covered in scars. The Keyblade is not limited to its default look – one can easily change its looks by assembling a Keychain to attach to it. My figuration resembles… flames. It seems strangely see-through, as if it was made of glass, however. It’s strange, really, but it also feels like it belongs that way.

\--

He was steaming silently. It was not unusual to see him with his brows furrowed like that, but the mere fact that Even was not moving around and mumbling to himself was the truly scary part. He just tapped his foot impatiently as he waited, staring out the window and watching the dark clouds out there swirl along to the wind. Ienzo had known the man almost all his life, but this was the first time he’d seen him like this – even Kairi picked up there was something odd about the man now.

All three of them looked out quietly, deciding not to say anything. Even looked furious, Ienzo worried, and Kairi just confused. It was her first time in the world she had been born in since the age of one, but it was nothing like she’d expected it to be. And this seemed to be what troubled the two mages standing there. She’d been sent here because the Master couldn’t take care of her training with everyone else out of the Land of Departure, but she knew that he was just worried that she would have taken off like Sora had in order to find Riku and Terra again. Kairi would have never dared that, but being allowed to go to the world she thought of as home was a too thrilling opportunity to pass up on.

After a while she didn’t understand what those two men were doing there, however. She was just going to ask when a hand was laid on her shoulder and someone cleared his throat. Even and Ienzo tore their eyes off the window and turned around.

“What is it?”

The man standing there shook his head slightly. “I am to pick up Lady Kairi. Master Ansem requests her company.”

“Whatever. Young lady, if you feel like going with Sir Harvey here, then go.” Even waved his hand around dismissively and turned back to look out into the dark clouds.

Ienzo merely shrugged slightly in order to signify he was going to stay here, and Kairi nodded back.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

They left, the steps soon fading somewhere down the hallway. It might have been a few minutes that passed, or a few hours. Ienzo lost all feeling for time locked into the castle like that. Therefore he decided to tear this silence apart.

“Has it started?” He leaned forward slightly to get a better look of Even’s expression. The older man’s eyebrows were still furrowed, and he looked slightly irritated now. “Is this how darkness finally claims Radiant Garden after centuries of being a pillar of light?”

“Impossible. We are warded by not only the old wall, but also a certain spell to keep this world bright. This spell has never once flickered away or faded. Yet… something about the border seems off. The storms are coming too quickly, strike too viciously, and vanish too fast for us to properly evacuate people. Sure, we do have a thunderstorm season, but after that comes bloom season… which never arrived…”

“Yesterday it struck the Outer Gardens business district…”

“And today it might as well start right where we’re standing. Like I said, they are unpredictable as their strikes don’t follow patterns… Unlike natural ones.”

Ienzo crossed his arms. “Natural ones?”

“Well, you see,” Even rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, “if these World Storms were natural, we could predict them. Naturally overflowing darkness has no mind of its own; therefore it is limited to patterns. Like a computer, of sorts. This however? Completely unpredictable. If worst comes to worst, we might get flooded with unnaturally many Heartless and mindless Nobodies. If that happens, what do we do? Retreat into our shells and hope the foundation we stand on does not break away?”

Ienzo had no answer for that possibly rhetorical question. Even was always hard to read, and he did not want to appear less smart than he actually was by accidentally asking Even a stupid question. There already were Heartless, some of them even pouring into the more lively parts of the city. There had been casualties already, and a rather makeshift group had formed to protect the citizens of Radiant Garden. It wasn’t official, but they had been gathered by Ansem the Wise himself.

Those people had accepted their duty with a bold determination shining in their eyes and had taken off almost immediately after being sent on duty.

It seemed incredibly silly to give up safety just to slay some Heartless who got people who were too idiotic to go outside without a weapon of sorts, but these people just… did. Ienzo didn’t understand, even though he tried his best to.

“This reminds me of the day we picked up Isa, honestly.”

“… Huh?”

“Another of these World Storms. Now that I think about it, we weren’t able to predict that one either. And a certain someone decided it would be a good idea to slip past the guards and run right to where the darkness finally appeared. But instead of one disobedient brat we found three children somewhere in that dark. You were just as silent as ever, and Isa was out cold with blood running down his face. And that Lea… honestly, he was way too sharp for a kid his age. Way too—“

“Even, hold on. Are you going senile? Lea’s dead.”

Instead of getting mad about the senile comment, Even merely snorted. “Incorrect. Isa’s memory about that day isn’t too reliable. He had slipped into shock almost the exact moment he was wounded like that, and his memories of the events following that are blurry and messed up. It’s as if someone undid the chains that linked together his memories of this day. So, naturally, he came up with something that made the most sense after the things that happened to him, and we only fed him a little incentive to believe it. Lea was alive and well when we found Isa – he was the one who even suggested to us that we should announce him dead until the day he came back.”

Once more silence swept across the hallway, with Ienzo just listening to the blood pounding in his ears. He had not known this fact; he had always believed the story that Isa believed. All of this considered, it just became ridiculously cruel to think about. Isa believed Lea had died because of him, and blamed himself for years. And now Even so casually mentioned that it had all been… a lie?

“… To be quite honest, that Axel pushed a lot of wrong buttons. Most striking of all, his appearance. He looks rather close to what this Lea looked like. Not that I got a good glimpse of the kid back then, but they look like they could be loosely related. Just… the eyes were similar. That certain underlying spark of sharp intelligence.”

“Even, do you think…?”

“Not a way in hell, Ienzo. That would be too many convenient coincidences to make this a real situation. Lea, still alive, returns to Radiant Garden 15 years later? A grown man, with amnesia, only to get picked up by his childhood friend that he set out to somehow avenge? Gets nursed back by that very same friend? How many of these ridiculous fairy tales did you read at night? A happy end’s unlikely, even more so for people who carry the ancient sin called a Keyblade. Darkness and light follow these guys around too much to have fate pull random strings – all things considered, that Lea most likely died in some random world out there shortly after leaving. He was just a kid, after all. Which doesn’t make Isa and our fake little story too far from the truth.”

Both men returned to staring out the window blankly. There were a couple things Ienzo wanted to ask, but he knew better than to annoy Even now. Not after he spilled that much information willingly. Better to not look a gift horse in the mouth, he thought, and left after a while to leave for where he suspected their rather royal guest would be.

 -

_Her laugh was soft, as if it was just a gentle breeze sweeping through the room. It seemed to fit right into this chokingly quiet place, but Roxas had to admit it was somehow dazzling. Her light blue eyes were like a summer sky, and the blonde hair that was draped over her left shoulder added a certain kind of colour to her mostly white clothes. Even most of the accessories were kept in silver to not disrupt anything from the bright white colour scheme she had going on. Only two things stood out; red hairpins and a strange bracelet in silver and white on her right wrist._

_“You two sure are odd.”_

_“How so?” Xion’s tone was casual, not even remotely suggesting she was afraid. He knew his sister better than that, though. She was scared. “We could just be citizens.”_

_“Yes, of course. But citizens generally don’t wear clothes fit for fighting, or sleep in the forest outside. Citizens would avoid this forest, as it is said to be cursed. If you truly wanted to disguise yourselves then would have taken better care of all of this.” Naminé laughed once more, this time with a bright smile remaining on her soft features. “It is not very often young Keyblade Wielders get lost here in Twilight Town. We’re too close to the dark border for that, even closer than Traverse Town. Not that I’m complaining. You make better company than everyone else in this manor already.”_

_Roxas merely nodded, much to his sister’s apparent disgust. Xion merely huffed and crossed her arms to show her distaste for current events. Naminé however giggled and stood up from where she had been sitting. Even her movements were more graceful than anything Roxas had ever seen, and he had to stop himself from staring too much. She gently traced the edge of the table as she took a few steps, only to raise the hand with a fluid motion and play with a lock of her hair. The bracelet she was wearing made a soft metallic sound which echoed through the perfectly white room. The tingle seemed to accompany the orange light pouring in through the window suddenly. Had the clouds outside moved away from the eternal sunset?_

_She hummed._

_“You’re both natural born fighters. Or so people in Traverse Town said. It was, of course, related to the fact that you were born after the world your parents lived in had been swallowed by darkness.”_

_“Wh—“_

_“Did you make it into the forest without being told stories of the witch that has replaced the mayor’s daughter? I doubt it. You are twins, born in Traverse Town roughly 17 years ago. You lived there until you both were 11; then you got kidnapped and dropped off in… Ring 8. You were trained there, in an art you never even know you possessed the weapon of. You endured death after death, always knowing that either of you could be the next. But you made it, until one final death finally tore your Ringleader’s nerves and mentality. Your plans of running away were intercepted and ruined, leaving you to drift away. You were not injured during the attack due to the Ringleader taking a couple blows of you. But the two of you failed to keep your grip onto him, and you lost him before landing in a world you didn’t know. It has been quite a while since then, and by now the only people remaining of your Ring are… you two. The kid from the Land of Departure. And, whether through incredible luck or incredible idiocy, your Ringleader.”_

_Xion let out a breath she did not realise she’d been holding, and Roxas stopped drumming his fingers on the table._

_“Only Sora and—“_

_“Naminé, one question.” His younger twin sister looked almost offended that he had interrupted her, but Roxas paid her no mind. Naminé merely moved her head slightly to signify that he was free to ask. “You know what happened to us. Do you know who’s chasing us as well, then?”_

_Naminé turned his back to the both of them, her shoes clicking softly on the brilliantly white floor. Her dress moved along like it was a whole new living being attached to her as she raised her hands to brush the curtains of the room a little. She sighed after a few heartbeats and turned back around, her eyes intensely focused all of a sudden. Whatever kind of magic she was using, it seemed to take a huge blow out of her psyche. She stumbled a little and leaned on the table to regain her composure._

_It was kind of endearing to watch. Like she was just a confused princess rather than the witch they had heard whispers about. Then again, wasn’t that the same? A princess and a witch both knew how to keep people under their spell._

_“… His head is clouded by darkness, but his heart is still full of the mist he was born and raised in. His body is a mere plaything to fate by now, and time tears into his flesh effortlessly. All while he struggles to keep his eyes on what he once promised to keep safe. He tries to keep an oath he screamed up to the misty skies of his homeworld, even after losing all traces of a consciousness. … The one hunting you is 1-1. The Ringleader of Ring 1, the person you call Right Hand… the person people once called Eagle’s Eyes. Vanitas from the misty world of mountains, floating high above the abyss.”_

_Roxas and Xion looked at each other. It just confirmed what they had been afraid of._

_Right Hand. It explained why the yellow eyes had come to haunt the both of them again. After all, 1-1 was generally known as the one with these viciously yellow eyes that seemed to pierce through everything. An icy glare that saw everything, as opposed to the Master’s ever lifeless yellow stare, and Left Hand’s paranoia-ridden orange. All three of them bore eyes that had been changed due to darkness, eyes that were unable to see in bright light anymore. For all Roxas knew, this was only fuelled by a natural affinity for darkness that Right Hand apparently had._

_“He’s haunted by a threat that makes his blood run dry within his veins. He’s not doing this because he hates Ring 8, he’s doing it because he’s scared.”_

_Roxas however simply snorted. “Right Hand, then? Fantastic. There’s absolutely no way we can outrun him. We’re done for, Xion. Let’s just give up and sit this one out.”_

_“Are you dumb?!”_

_Naminé remained quiet and watched as Roxas and Xion started yelling at each other – one party was ready to give up everything, while the other insisted that they had made it so far without getting caught that they could continue going. The empty mansion merely swallowed up the sounds of that argument, even as Naminé raised her hands slowly and suggested they stayed in here to hide until Vanitas gave up his relentless hunt._

 -

In the next worlds they would start asking around if anyone knew Axel, they decided. After a few more unpopulated places like the snowy world it was long overdue that they started doing something productive while trying to get as much space between them and their pursuers from the Land of Departure as possible. Choosing worlds blindly while running yielded no results, so they carefully planned their next step, not unlike Terra and Riku did.

 -

The worlds they eventually passed were nothing spectacular. Most importantly they, too, caused no progress in their quest for Axel’s lost past, and Isa came to realise that maybe they had crossed into several other Light Cycles already. There was no way they were still in the 105th. Eventually they reached another world, and once more it was nothing spectacular. After the stunning beauty of the worlds without human population, the ones with it seemed dull and lifeless. The sky here was overcast, the entire light strangely low despite the sun burning somewhere behind the clouds. It looked like someone had cast a Blind spell on the world, which in turn covered everything by a grey layer. At first they had ended up in a forest, carefully searching for traces of human life. At some point they found a street which led out of the forest. Isa and Axel followed it quietly for a day, only to realise that the further they went, the more the road changed. Had it been nothing more than a bright white path through the dark forest at first, it now turned a little more colourful. Said colourful parts were seashells in the brightest colours they had seen in this world so far. The breeze turned more and more salty and smelled of fish, until finally they found a village perched on top of a cliff. It was where the road had led, and it was also the only destination it had. Beyond the cliff was the sea, its waves crashing against the cliff almost angrily.

It was more a town than a village, and it smelled of fish. They had previously not seen any animals, but now hundreds and thousands of seagulls screeched as the tide rolled in. Like the road everything in that town was bright white stone, with the colourful spots and dots of seashells embedded in the walls. It was a beautiful sight, finally something to rival the white snowfields that still haunted Isa’s dreams. They walked into the village with wide eyes and almost forgot they were supposed to ask if anyone knew Axel.

After an hour of amazement however, Isa started asking around. He’d hoped he would get an answer this time, but he was once more mistaken. Nobody here knew the redhead. Nobody recognised him. Isa and Axel concluded that this was unfortunately not the place that the latter had been from. They were almost disappointed, because this place seemed perfect to live in. Just as they were about to leave, one of the people Isa had asked earlier ran after them.

As it turned out, there was going to be a festival of some sorts in three days. Normally this entire place would be filled to the brim with visitors from the town on the other side of the forest, but a flooding had destroyed the only bridge that was stretched across the wide and dangerous river in the forest. Therefore they were offered a place to stay for free until the festival was over.

Isa and Axel agreed to stay until that day and offered their help with the final preparations as well. Terra and Riku were nowhere to be seen, and it was unlikely that they would end up on this side of the river if they came here.

Time seemed to slow down however. Isa was quite enjoying this sensation as two days slowly passed. He hadn’t realised how tired he had actually been, and even though they helped with almost everything he was starting to relax. It was as if some sort of fuzz was clearing from the back of his head, and once this realisation struck, Isa figured out that they had been under the stress of constantly changing worlds and therefore timeflows. Once that background static was gone from his mind, Isa started tackling down the gross feeling of homesickness. One day in this place had done miracles to him – and to Axel as well. The haunted look never quite faded off the other’s features, but he seemed to relax a little as well. It was slightly weird to suddenly burst into laughter among strangers, but the townspeople were friendly and enjoyed the duo’s company as much as they did with the townspeople’s.

Nobody seemed to be particularly interested in where this odd team had come from, or why Axel lost his memory. They had prepared a lie in case someone got suspicious, but even on the second day nobody asked anything. No, all the townspeople did was grow incredibly fond of Axel. Maybe time in this place really passed slower than the average, but those two days felt like two whole weeks to both Axel and Isa. On the afternoon of the second day, Isa found himself merely laughing in delight as Axel completely mixed up several tasks at once. Everyone was just having fun, something that Isa had rarely seen in his life. It was refreshing to see people honestly having fun, with no gloomy atmosphere attached somehow.

Two days passed in what felt like a summer daze, even though they did not actually see the sun even once. Everything was still covered by clouds, and there was nothing but the slightly salty sea breeze. The third day started extremely slow as well, with nothing but the birds screeching as the tide rolled in. Isa was not woken up by the sound of the town coming to life, but rather by Axel shaking him. Drowsily Isa opened one eye and looked out the window.

“… What’re you doing? Look out the window, not even a single person’s there yet… Go back to sleep, Axel…”

With a grumble Axel stopped shaking the other and went back to the other room. Sleeping a little more was relieving to Isa – he almost started wishing to be able to stay in this place forever. It felt more like home than Radiant Garden at this point, if he ignored the homesickness somewhere in the back of his head. This place had been more welcoming than Radiant Garden had been in 15 years, and there were no old shadows haunting this place. Nor were there any guards to keep Isa from shoving open the door and stepping out into the world beyond the walls. The only thing that he’d have to worry about if he stayed here would have been to fit in properly. Maybe people here could teach him how to live like a normal person. Maybe if Axel stayed as well…

That was where Isa stopped daydreaming. It was absolutely impossible to just do that. There were still people from the Land of Departure after him, and Axel would want to get his memories back rather than staying here. If Isa stayed here, Terra would eventually find him. And if that was the case, then it would mean getting dragged back into the golden cage he knew. His mood suddenly a lot more sullen, Isa closed the door and buried himself in his bed again.

The day dragged on and on, and once more it felt like a week passed. Once the sun started setting, the town sprung to life however. Both men left the house only to pause for a moment. Everything seemed to glow at this point, but upon closer inspection it were the colourful shells embedded in the streets and outside walls. Once the first surprise passed, Isa felt an old and familiar fog settling in his head again. Once Axel, he and the temporary neighbours reached the town square, Isa felt like he was unable to even fake a smile. He settled for a neutral expression while sitting down on a table far away from the main event.

Axel seemed to have gotten lost somewhere in the crowd, but Isa didn’t mind. He just watched people until he let his thoughts drift off. The music changed at some point, and people started… dancing. It was a dance Isa had never seen, but he didn’t bother asking anyone. He didn’t want to spoil anyone’s fun, but especially not Axel’s. Once more drifting off, he never saw someone approaching him. Isa merely sighed and closed his eyes.

He almost yelled when someone grabbed his arms and forced the blue-haired to stand up. He stumbled forwards and away from his seat, only to be dragged along by someone enthusiastically. Once Isa even realised it was Axel doing all this, he’d been dragged into the crowd.

“A-Axel! What are you—“

“C’mon, you got all time in the worlds to be gloomy like that. You’re not some glowing sad mushroom, though, you’re a person. Go with the flow a little, will you? With me?”

Isa groaned, a smile sneaking out from somewhere underneath his slight irritation. He’d spent most of the day thinking about how much he wanted to stay somewhere other than Radiant Garden, up to the point he completely forgot about his companion. Ironically enough, now that Isa thought about it, just about anything would be okay as long as the redhead was with him. He realised it all at once, and even figured that Axel would have just stayed with Isa regardless of what happened. Not until Axel remembered his past; and even then he might as well have just stayed with Isa. It had been absolutely ridiculous to even consider this a problem.

Speaking of problems; there was something else they were struggling with at the moment…

“… Axel. Do you even have the slightest idea how to follow a song’s beat? Clumsy oaf, watch where you’re going…”

“Gee, thanks, I’m trying my best to get you out of your funk, and what do I get?” Even though he was complaining, Axel let out a laugh and attempted to do what the other townspeople were doing. It might have been a spin of sorts, but the dance was simply beyond Isa’s immediate understanding, and very well out of Axel’s dancing capabilities. “I get called a clumsy oaf! Thank you, Mister Has-a-face-like-the-world-ends-tomorrow!”

Both let out a laugh, which in turn ruined Axel’s sort of foolish attempt to copy the townspeople’s movements even further. The green-eyed did his best at trying to save their grace by attempting to somehow get back into the rhythm, but all they did was stumble around at the edges of the stage while laughing. Seeing as Isa was the one supposed to follow he had no change to actually turn this around and at least get them back into the rhythm, but all he could do right now anyway was laugh and follow Axel’s clumsy steps. It was highly amusing to be dragged around to music by someone who could absolutely not dance at all – he’d seen festival dances like this before, from his window. There was a festival similar to this before the storm season started in order to welcome the new year. His confinement to the castle had made it impossible to actually attend such a festival and test out the theory on dancing with another person. Which made it even funnier to him that he was here right now, once more spun around by Axel. He laughed louder, which made Axel laugh back in embarrassment. There was something charming yet hilarious about the redhead slowly but steadily losing his ego over being unable to follow a simple dance. Eventually they had to stop to catch their breath from laughing too hard.

“You should… pf… see your face right now, Axel!”

“Well, take a… hah… closer look at yourself!”

The redhead merely smirked at Isa’s confused expression before grabbing the other again and this time entering the ongoing dance properly. It went rather smooth now, aside from the occasional step onto Isa’s toes. Despite all, Axel was still smirking at Isa – at least until the beat suddenly changed. The smirk dropped off his face, and Isa just started laughing again as they crashed into one another repeatedly.

Just like all those worlds before this one, it didn’t seem half as bad to leave it behind as long as Axel was still there, Isa concluded as he staggered, unable to catch himself properly and ending up half-hanging in Axel’s arms for a second. As long as the other was there to catch him whenever he fell like this, everything would be okay, somehow. Even though he was a goofball with no feeling for rhythm whatsoever. He made up for that by being a good listener and a surprisingly great navigator, and Isa knew he could trust him blindly. … Wasn’t that what travelling with someone important was supposed to be like?

With that thought, the song ended. Axel stumbled over to the table Isa had sat at before and dropped into a chair. Isa tried his best to not burst into loud laughter as he looked at how offended and confused the other looked. Eventually they both started laughing again however, Isa letting out an amused cackle and Axel an embarrassed snort once they ran out of breath again.

A few minutes passed before the same song started again. Isa vaguely recalled one of the townspeople mentioning that there were two versions of a certain song to be played – the short one, and the full version. Apparently this was going to be the full version now. Axel jumped to his feet.

“May I have this dance, oh your high gloominess?”

“If I said no, would you grab me and embarrass yourself again like that?”

“Well, I’d grab you, yes, but I’d not make a fool of myself again. I got it down now, you see.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re still gonna suck at it.”

“So are you!”

With that, Axel offered Isa a hand, which the other gladly grabbed. This time it went smoothly, much to Isa’s surprise – Axel had not lied. He was a fast learner, apparently. Thankfully Isa was one too, and they both ended up slightly struggling for dominance during the first minute. Eventually Axel took over simply because he was taller, had a little more muscle than Isa, and the blue-haired honestly started feeling silly trying to take over like that.

The song seemed to stretch into eternity, but eventually slowed down a little. Because of that, neither Isa nor Axel really saw the sudden change in rhythm coming, and were both surprised when they were suddenly in the way of the other townspeople. Everyone just laughed about that, and the both of them found the rhythm again soon enough to no longer be an obstacle. The spins, twirls and jumps became more and more frequent and hectic, and Isa found himself just grinning dumbly. Axel was still a rather hopeless case compared to everyone else, but Isa was smiling because this was the most fun he’d had in his entire life.

The beat and the music stopped so suddenly that Isa and Axel, on the very edge of the stage, crashed into one and another and tumbled off the wooden construction. Nobody seemed to have noticed, and the two of them scrambled back to their feet with a wheeze and a snort respectively. Isa was slightly embarrassed now and started dusting himself off.

“Hey.”

He looked up and almost fell backwards again. Axel was way too close all of a sudden, and he seemed oddly focused on Isa’s face. Unsure of where to look, Isa decided to focus on the other’s eyes – it was the most captivating yet unreal shade of green he’d ever seen. For a moment Isa could have believed Axel was nothing more than a figment of his imagination just based on this colour.

Whatever Axel had tried to say, he’d forgotten by now. Their faces were almost touching, and the redhead couldn’t help just continuing to stare. Of course he’d seen Isa up close before, but that had always been back in Radiant Garden. Something about the Isa standing in this nameless world right now seemed to be different than the one locked into the castle back at Radiant Garden. Something about his face had changed. It wasn’t the scar, which still made a perfect cross in the middle of Isa’s face. Had it once been a strange and unsettling thing to look at, it was now a familiar sight to behold, just as the face it was stretched across.

It was strange when Axel remembered the first time he’d actively looked at the other. It seemed like a far-off memory in a life long ago – Isa, with a book on his lap and this general uninterested glint in his eyes as he looked up to comment on Axel having woken up at last. To consider they’d started out snapping at each other almost daily, and now they were running away from the people Isa knew almost all his life together.

It felt like they had been standing there like that for ages, when it had really only been a few seconds. Another song started playing softly somewhere in the back, but neither really reacted to it. Isa and Axel were still frozen in this position they had assumed earlier – not a single person noticed them at the moment, as all of them were otherwise occupied with continuing the dance, or trying to grab something to eat.

Neither quite dared moving, as if they were afraid this whole world would shatter once they did. Isa and Axel had both seen Ienzo work illusions and dismiss them again, and they both wondered if this was just one of them. As if guided by someone was guiding him, Isa leaned forwards slightly. He knew, if this was an illusion, all would break now that he moved again. He moved, slowly, until his lips brushed those of Axel.

He took a step backwards almost immediately after that, realising that this was not an illusion. He knew it was already too late to even remotely stop himself from turning an ugly shade of red, and Isa started muttering apologies at once. How embarrassing. Of all things he could have done to test if this was an illusion, Isa had chosen the one that probably ruined everything.

“Hey, hey. No need to apologise.”

Isa looked back up, searching Axel’s face for something like anger or disgust. He found neither emotion somehow expressed on the other’s face.

Instead he got a soft smile; a smile more endearing than anything he’d ever seen in his life.

“… I’m glad you’re here with me.”

 -

_It was getting more than just irritating to search for these two. It hadn’t been Terra’s fault that the stranger had taken off like that and grabbed Isa of all people on his way out. The master was just rolling the unpleasant job onto his former student’s shoulders to make him pay for having picked a fight with Isa again._

_General irritation aside, Terra was also starting to get ridiculously exhausted. It was like some sort of fog had settled in his mind, which clouded his entire judgement. He knew he was under the influence of having been through too many worlds in too little time, but it didn’t help his mood the slightest. He needed a break, but taking one would just give Axel and Isa enough time to widen the distance between them and Terra and Riku._

_Not even a Keyblade armour could keep the strain of too many worlds away from its owner. The only device capable of that was a Gummi Ship, but Terra and Riku had not been given one. Terra actually had no idea how to control one. Riku knew in theory, but it was not enough to trust them with one of these rare and rather delicate machines._

_Armour was more interesting than the ship anyway, but both master and student now paid the price for their preference._

_With a growl Terra looked around. He saw neither of the men he was supposed to find, and it ticked him off. Master Eraqus had sent them on a quest to collect both the unknown Keyblade wielder and the… Berserker unharmed. Terra knew that Isa would rather die than go down without a fight, and he was wondering how much brute darkness the blue-haired could throw against him. He hated the dark, just as everyone who had been taught in the Land of Departure did, but Terra also feared it more than anything else. Just thinking about the reason made him sick, and any person who used darkness like that had to be a monster._

_Yet Isa had shown clear signs of being human through and through. He spoke and moved like a human rather than a monster, and he’d once or twice expressed the rather human longing to get out of the castle. Weren’t there cases of Heartless retaining their human form? Or was he a Nobody? Terra was just unwilling to call Isa a Somebody, a human._

_Riku behind him sighed loudly._

_“Master.” The silver-haired’s voice was strained and oozed exhaustion. “Why don’t we just… declare the two of them dead and return home?” It seemed rather out of character for Riku to give up this easily, and therefore Terra turned around to look at his apprentice._

_“…”_

_“… After… after what happened to Sora… and Ventus… and Lady Aqua… The… the same thing happened to them. We never saw any of them again. We declared them dead ourselves. By now none of them can even be alive anymore… Not Lady Aqua… not Sora, not Ventus… So why don’t we just do the same with this stranger and… Isa… and…. And go home.”_

_Terra remained silent. He always had a hard time believing that those three were actually dead. He’d denied their death in Master Eraqus’ face rather recently as well and spent three days hopelessly searching for evidence. He had no proof to back up his words, other than stupid and childish hope that this other survivor of an attack was still alive. Aqua was able of surviving anything with nary a scratch on her ego and beliefs, and this was what Terra clung onto. It seemed so unlikely that the woman he’d once found as a young girl with a blade stuck in her shoulder while not shedding a single tear had just vanished and died like that that. She was one of three survivors out of 30 people originally living in the Land of Departure when he’d been a kid, and he simply refused to believe she was gone for good._

_Ventus, too, was too wiry and too clever to just die like that. He’d arrived in the Land of Departure as a half dead teenager, barely able to tell them his own name, but was back on his feet a mere two days later._

_Sora, too, as one of the two survivors of the tragedy that had swallowed the Destiny Islands whole…_

_… But Riku had a point. It had been years since they saw either of these three. Somewhere underneath the childish hope there was a tired voice telling Terra to accept they were gone. Lost somewhere between the worlds, never to be seen again._

_Just like that friend of Isa’s apparently was._

_Terra shook his head angrily. He wouldn’t end up like Isa. He wouldn’t just replace the three of them with a dangerous trio of strangers. He would not end up a monster. The Keyblade Master made a decision that moment. One that he might regret later, but for not it sounded good. He looked at his apprentice with determination._

_“We’re going to find them either dead for real…”_

_Riku groaned. He was tired beyond words and could not continue a pointless hunt like that. Just when he looked at Terra to tell him such, Terra cracked a grin._

_“… or kill both of them.”_

 -

She was pacing around like a lion in a cage. Even though there was no heart left in her body, something was irritating her. At first it was just some sort of gut feeling that she could easily dismiss as memories simply acting up. At some point, however, she couldn’t just shove the feeling away. Something in the balance was stirring, causing unrest. Even the other Nobodies were starting to look irritated at this point, and Aqua knew she had to do something. Even though she was supposed to be a lawless, homeless creature now, she couldn’t quite shake the urge to do something for the balance. It was her duty as one raised in the Land of Departure, even though she never made it to the title of Keyblade Master.

She let three days pass.

Once the third day ended she felt like she knew what was happening. It felt familiar and brought memories bubbling to the surface which she’d refused to even think about for years. All of a sudden she thought she could feel the fear and despair again, and a familiar ache started pounding in her shoulder. For just a split moment this world looked like the Land of Departure at dawn, with just a tiny sliver of the rising sun somewhere on the horizon. Just for a split moment she saw them all again, their faces pale and unmoving. Children. Children that had been her age, just under the care of Master Eraqus. Every single one of them had been brought here to one day be a proper guard – just like Aqua had been, just not by Master Eraqus. A heartbeat long she saw all three of the Masters, but then two suddenly vanished and even Master Eraqus slowly disappeared. With him disappeared a kid that looked a lot like Terra.

It was that moment that Aqua realised something was very wrong, and had been for years. She gathered her fellow Nobodies and began explaining. They agreed that the worlds were unsettled by something, and that this needed to be stopped. None of them had been able to trace the source of unrest to a specific world, but once they would start moving around everything would become clearer with time.

Nobodies could enter and leave worlds freely, with no issues of a timestroke affecting them too much. How horrible would it be to either end up an Undying Nobody, or dead simply because the body could no longer take any more changing timeflows? No, they all gathered up the black coats that blocked out too much darkness and the effects of time.

The Nobodies followed Aqua’s call, who in turn merely listened to what an ancient sin told her – a Keyblade in hand she set out with her group.

 -

_There were several worlds that were considered to be in balance, more or less. Those worlds were important somehow, though he forgot how. The one that was in absolute balance however became the main world of a Light Cycle. All those worlds were peaceful, more or less, with a population of peace-loving fools. At least there were not nearly as many morons as there were in worlds covered by walls of light._

_Twilight Town was almost in balance. In fact it was closer to the Land of Departure in nature than any other world in this Light Cycle. Except there was one little difference that set it and the holy outlook apart. The Land of Departure was blocked off, and there was no way to slink in unless someone knew exactly how to. Not even Heartless or Nobodies managed to wiggle through that border._

_Here in Twilight Town however, people seemed to ignore what was moving in the shadows._

_But Vanitas saw._

_Maybe it was due to the fact that his eyes were much more like those of a Heartless at this point than they were human. Years and years of experimentation and trying not to die while clinging to the dark had caused an interesting change in him. How he’d managed to keep his skin a relatively natural tone was beyond him – unlike the other two he was still just mere tan, not unnaturally burned by the dark. Were his skin like it had been when he was a child he’d pass as person born in the Realm of Darkness now. Yellow eyes, pale skin, black hair. The only thing that would have looked more natural would have been red eyes, but that was something that even Vanitas thought to be odd. He was used to brown, blue and green. Not something as bright and unnatural as yellow and red, even though he had the former by now._

_He’d crossed the city with fast and confident steps. He was close to finishing his mission. He knew exactly where the two of them were hiding, and after them all that would be left would be that kid from the Land of Departure and the Ringleader. After that he would be able to return to the wastelands and finally get his brother out of danger. Maybe it was this fact that made him reckless._

_The silence in the pristinely white room was broken by weapons clashing against each other. The curtains seemed to move faster, which in turn lit the white walls bright orange as the dazzling sunset of Twilight town poured into the room. It seemed to set the entire room on fire and also scorched the white dress of this one girl. At first he’d had the element of surprise to follow him into the room, catching all three of them off-guard._

_But now that Roxas and Xion had gathered themselves they proved to be rather formidable opponents. The eye-patches they wore did not seem to impair their sight the slightest; and the two of them worked together like a machine. Vanitas did for once not stand a chance against the two of them. Maybe it was the fact that he was more exhausted than he wanted to admit._

_At some point the battle came to a momentary standstill, all three of them locked into a strange pose. Someone had cast Slow. Considering that there were only four people in this room, it had to have been Naminé._

_Thanks to this advantage she was able to fire off several spells in rapid succession, which left Vanitas writhing on the floor. He could not see, blinded by a bright light spell._

_It ended as suddenly as it began five minutes earlier, and Roxas and Xion stumbled backwards to look at the blonde girl in confusion. Naminé merely shook her head, her soft voice once more filling the room to the brim – that voice was infuriating and made Vanitas’ head pound even worse._

_“Get out of here, Roxas, Xion. Wait for me in the forest. I’ll take care of… 1-1.”_

_Confused but unwilling to discuss this issue any further, the two of them hurried out. Naminé calmly walked over to Vanitas, only to gently kick him in his side. He merely hissed at her._

_“I’ll let you off the hook. For now. Get lost.”_

_With that the blonde girl turned around and hurried after her unexpected partners, and Vanitas only mustered up a dry laugh. Of all people to be defeated by, it had to be a sheltered little girl with magic capabilities so unexpected that she’d almost blown him up._

_Even getting tortured to death sounded less painful than taking one of her Flare spells into the side again._

_He’d officially failed his mission. Ring 8 was not dead yet._

 -

Ring 8, yes.

Sora looked up at the sky and heard a rather large group of people approach. He turned around with fear in his heart.

Xion and Roxas, who hurried through the afternoon streets together with Naminé. All three of them were hopelessly trying to think of a way to get out 1-1’s reach as fast as possible, and they decided to skip worlds for the time being.

Their Ringleader however was simply staring ahead. Staring at nothing in particular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really all i have to say is:  
> i used to be (in)famous on the german fanfiction.net-equivalent for about a year for my fanfics. i delivered long stuff that left the ending either open, or it was a bad ending. therefore you can probably read how bad i am at non-unhappy stuff in this chapter. for which i apologise
> 
> now then, which ending will this fic have? well, you know,  
> (im not telling)


	9. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to be fair, i said i was procrastinating on this chapter. which i did a lot. somehow i managed to finish it in 3 hours though. i have no explanation. my hands are numb because my room is cold as balls.  
> god dammit when will i ever be consistent with uploading times and such

“Isa” – Born and raised in Radiant Garden, he spent most of his life under the constant watch of Ansem the Wise. He’d not left the castle in 15 years, but he managed to make his friend Ienzo take him out for a day. That day he essentially saved my life and also gave me my current name. If I had to describe what he acts like, I’d probably compare him to the moon. He’s cold at first, but once you know how to approach him he becomes a rather sarcastic and honest soul. Though, where he’d acted icily out of self-defence before, he now seems to slowly thaw. It’s as if the ice covering most of him is slowly melting under the fact that he finally managed to get out. Or, err, anyway. He manages to be both bitter and sweet at the same time, something that I’ve never seen anyone managing before. It all adds up to his charm, honestly. I wouldn’t want him to change any part of his personality just because he’s a little on the rude and aloof side sometimes. He’s… perfect, basically. Too perfect, actually. Gods. I sound like a teenage girl in love.

 -

“Lea” – A ghost from Isa’s past. A kid that died 15 years ago… apparently. Somehow I feel that’s incorrect information. No, I’m actually quite sure I know someone with the name Lea. Is that the same guy? I can’t tell. I haven’t even told Isa that the name feels familiar somehow. I dunno. I just don’t want them to… y’know. Meet again like that. It would defeat all purpose of Isa being my partner in crime. Like. Like, I’m afraid I’ll be ditched for this person, should he turn out to be still alive.

\--

It came in a way that nobody could have expected. Even had mentioned something like “being overrun by Heartless”, but even being simply overrun sounded more pleasant than this flood that nobody could ever hope to stem. For the first time in three centuries darkness had managed to seep into Radiant Garden, and it came back with a vengeance. The vast darkness that had covered the skies until the point where it formed a giant black wall somewhere over the outskirts of the city was even less threatening than the Heartless seeping through every corner of the world. Three days ago they had evacuated everyone, and people started taking up weapons. Mages were gathered together to keep a magic wall around the castle, the last bastion of light in this world slowly being consumed by unnatural darkness.

A cold shudder ran down his back, and Ienzo shook his head.

Despite the loud protests of the entire Guard and Even, he’s set out to defend the city alongside a group of citizens. Much to everyone’s disdain, Kairi had insisted to be let out of the castle as well. She had no idea about her homeworld and anything related to it, but she would not let it be lost to darkness either.

They were sent to block off a way to the city square. Somewhere there was another group who would have to fend off the majority of the Heartless pouring down the streets at an incredible rate. Ienzo knew that they were multiplying not because they consumed other people’s hearts – no, these Heartless were vicious, fake somehow. They cared little about the natural instincts they should have had, which led Ansem and Even to the conclusion this was not natural at all. Someone had sent these Heartless after Radiant Garden, and had done in the magical barrier cast by the last Keyblade Wielder with her dying breath and wish.

The last Keyblade Master with a Keyblade of Heart had given her life in vain, cast a spell to keep everything and everyone she loved warded from the darkness for nothing. Three centuries was not a long time for such a spell to hold – an equivalent to it in Disney Castle and Town had existed for a millennium at the very least.

Ienzo stretched his aching arms. He was exhausted. The entire group were – they had been fighting out here for quite some time and only recently been told to move here via a magical transmitter. None of them dared to admit that they were absolutely drained and tired, however. They already had lost so many parts of the city to these creatures, and they would not accept another loss.

A few minutes passed in silence. The young woman who had been trained as healer straightened down her dress a little and tapped the floor with her staff, checking if the small battle barrier she had set up was still going strong. She then sighed and muttered a few words before setting up the barrier again to strengthen it a little. A long silver arc was traced through the air as one of the men swung his huge sword from its resting place on a contraption on his shoulder and let it hit the stone floor. He looked rather uninterested despite his obvious tiredness. Next to him, another woman merely cracked her knuckles and proceeded to do basic warm-up. The leader of their small group was doing something which made his weapon click rather obnoxiously in the silence – Ienzo had no idea what kind of sword made clicking noises like that. A teenager flung around several of her oversized shuriken and jumped around anxiously. Yet another man was merely looking around while leaning onto his spear – he had been trained as a dragoon at some point in his life, though he had left the group to follow his lifelong dream of being a machinist of some sort.

Ienzo opened his lexicon and flicked through the pages. Kairi next to him stood next to him just had her Keyblade summoned and stared ahead quietly. Something seemed to be wrong, but nobody dared asking her what she felt. They got an answer soon enough, anyway.

A large, black mass came moving down the street like a massive wave. They quietly saw it approach until Ienzo couldn’t stand the silence anymore. They all knew the other group had died, thus enabling all creatures to move on at once.

“… Are we all ready?” Ienzo thus asked, leaving out any unnecessary comments about the other group’s demise. He got no answer whatsoever. “Well, we don’t have much choice.”

With this, the group leader gave the signal to charge.

 -

_Once Naminé had appeared, Roxas had grabbed her and Xion’s hands and pulled them through a portal he’d opened a moment earlier. 1-1 was known for acting on his own, but there was a chance that there were other people following their leader around, and therefore it would be best if they just blindly charged ahead. Opening the portal at random had proven to be not of much help, as once they stumbled out of it, an all too familiar gust hit them, tossing sand into their face and against their clothes almost immediately. A familiar dead wind that carried nothing but emptiness and lifelessness danced around them, bringing nothing but an ancient warning to future generations with it. There was no trace whatsoever of the over a hundred people scattered across this dead land in small groups. The winds carried nothing but death._

_In a way, this was fitting. It carried the promise of death to all who opposed._

_“Honestly, I’d have expected 1-1 or 8-1 or both at the same time pop out of this. Never would I have dreamed that the twins and a complete stranger would tumble out of this.”_

_Roxas almost immediately started looking around in blind hopes of finding whoever was speaking. He was terrified – at least until he finally located the speaker. Once he realised who was talking to them, he relaxed at once and almost started laughing. There was literally nothing to fear from this guy._

_“… Edmy.”_

_The other blonde merely cocked an eyebrow. “What, were you expecting death himself to show up here and welcome you all with a big hug of doom? Nah, man, it’s just the guy with a sitar from a world where death’s a trio, in case you forgot about that.”_

_Xion merely shook her head in disappointment and looked around._

_“You expect me to have backup? Honestly, worst I could bring would be Re, who would chew you up for being reckless like that. ‘Specially since we could really use your hands…”_

_“…?”_

_“Ah, oh, well. Since you were around you weren’t told, I guess. We’re raising hell – and with that I mean we plan to stage an uprising. We’re in the final phase of conducting it, almost ready to start it. We have the support of a lot of people inside the Rings, even a handful Ringleaders agreed. We’re thinking of contacting Ring 1 next, ‘cause if we get them, then it’s all smooth sailing. But even if we don’t reach ‘em, it’s the majority of our fancy little army against the grand leaders.”_

_Naminé frowned. “Quantity versus quality, then…? But that hardly ever works…”_

_“And yet you stand here in front of me in one piece.” Edmy’s usually cheerful tone suddenly turned uncharacteristically dry. He crossed his arms and looked at the three teenagers in front of him. “What exactly have you one dot Van, 1-1, then? Turned him into a human popsicle and then shattered him into a million pieces? Slashed him into mincemeat? Burned him to a crisp that breathed out someone else’s name before ceasing to be entirely? … What’s that look for, girl.”_

_Had she been annoyed by this clown’s presence at first, Xion was now staring at him rather horrified. She was a fast thinker, and the last sentence had set her motor into motion enough to make her realise what was going on. Roxas and Naminé however did not entirely understand and therefore stared at Xion in bewilderment. It took maybe ten seconds of this before the man from Ring 0 burst into howling laughter. He almost fell over from trying to regain his balance after the initial moment passed before speaking._

_“Don’t tell me none of you knew. 1-1’s too clever and too strong at this point to simply follow the old man’s orders like that. In order to control a wildcard like him, you need… ah, how to put this, a leash of sorts? He’s not a moron, even though he fears death like nothing else. No, no. 1-1 is being kept in check because his life is linked to someone else in this place, someone who’s rather innocent. You all know him as a vicious monster, but he’s a rather thoughtful person when he’s done playing the tough guy.”_

_It was the same deafening silence that Vanitas had expected to greet him. Actually, he had expected the silence of death after he’d passed out. He’d expected the dry winds of whatever wasteland the dead ended up in, not a slow breeze tugging on a white curtain. He could barely see – the white in this place was blinding to his sensitive eyes, and it took him several minutes to actually focus on anything. His entire body ached and refused to listen to his commands at first, but after several minutes he had managed to stand up and lean against the table in the middle of the white room._

_There was nobody but himself in here, the curtain swaying in the slight breeze that came through the window behind it. This movement got annoying rather fast, and he groaned slightly while he squeezed his eyes shut again. His head was pounding. A headache and several mild to severe burns were rather amazing, considering he’d just been pelted by a simple Fira. He had never encountered someone with that much raw magical power, and had therefore not been able to brace for the impact following the initial blast. It was an incredible power to be had, but he highly doubted this girl could execute this when placed under stress. She would be unable to properly fight back if her life was ever actually in danger. Had she believed that he would have spared her once he’d been through with Roxas and Xion? He doubted it._

_Not that he particularly cared about that. If Roxas and Xion were still with this girl, it would be incredibly hard to catch up with them and protect Ventus’ life through that._

_His fingers clenched around the table he’d been leaning on for support, and he furiously started staggering around while trying to find a proper exit to this room. This bright, bright room which made his vision swim even more than it would have from pain and injury alone. The darkness was really getting to him lately, and it blurred his sight even more – this time it was sheer fury that blinded him._

_Vanitas had always been aware of his status of pawn to the great mastermind behind all of this. He’d become some sort of lab rat at some point – he vaguely remembered being capable of aging like any normal human as well as having cyan eyes instead of yellow ones. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and noted that it was slightly lighter than he last remembered it. First his eyes, then the sun and the darkness had turned his formerly ashen skin to a light brown colour, and now his hair was starting to slowly lose colour up to the point where it would be a sort of fake-looking silver. There were a lot of people with natural silver hair scattered in the Realm of Light, but most of them were not associated with darkness at all._

_His small groan of pain turned into a disgusted hiss. The white was starting to burn itself into his skull, and he still heard a faint buzzing. He was injured, and needed to properly look at his wounds in peace and quiet – but outside of this pristinely white room which multiplied his rage and pain thousand fold._

_He hopped out of the window and hurried back to the city like a wounded animal. Honestly, he felt like he was nothing more than that, anyway._

 -

There was only one word to describe this situation: Hopeless.

They had lost ground rather fast, forced backwards by the endless swarm of Heartless. Ienzo had a throbbing headache at this point, a clear sign that he had run his magic potential dry. The healer looked exhausted too, but she still swung her staff around as if it was a sword. All those books on proper battle tactics he had read in his life were no help at all against an unorganised mob like those Heartless. Every single strategy guide had mentioned something like backup or refreshments arriving, but no such thing was going to happen for them. They were completely surrounded, figuratively with the back against the wall. Somewhere behind them was the castle, the only way there cut off by even more of these black creatures. They had backed away in hopes of possibly entering the range of some castle spellcasters, but no such thing was going to happen. They realised that when the youngest member of their group, a girl named Yuffie, simply fell over and got run over by Heartless. Much to everyone’s horror the only thing they could hear from underneath this mass was a horrible mixture of mangled screams and crunching sounds, until there was nothing other than sheer blackness in front of them. As if this had not been enough, the Heartless had then seemingly realised that the rest of this girl’s group was now terrified and easy prey. A hundred, several thousand pairs of glinting eyes turned on the few humans standing there, and their fate was slowly dawning on them.

They were doomed.

Communication to any other team currently deployed in the streets had completely broken off at this point – their communicator had been Yuffie. The number of enemies was simply too great to be met with sufficient manpower. Maybe if all of Radiant Garden, including children and the sick and elderly, had rallied their forces and gone against the Heartless, then they might have won. Even with every living soul fighting against those creatures there was no way they would have won without significant losses. But this right now? It wasn’t even a challenge, it was going to be a slaughter. In hindsight it seemed foolish to have abandoned the castle’s inner walls to fight alongside those people.

A loud clatter made Ienzo snap out of his thoughts. The former dragoon and current engineer had lost his weapon, and he was jumped by a few Heartless. Were these creatures enjoying this? There was nothing they could have done for Cid Highwind in that moment, and the entire group backed to the house walls behind them. A few seconds of silence, before the engineer’s helping hand, a young man named Cloud, let out a groan.

“Above us. Get away from the walls. Now.”

A few sluggish steps later, Heartless jumped from the roof. There was no escape at all, and Ienzo realised with a cold shudder that there was no way to save Radiant Garden. These creatures would not stop until every resident was extinguished.

A minute or so passed, and everyone was wrecking their brains on what to do next. There was no way to teleport out of this – Ienzo as well as Kairi and the healer named Aerith were too exhausted to send all of them back to the castle. Ienzo barely even managed to call upon his magic abilities anymore, and Kairi’s face was ashen from exhaustion and fear. The rest were simply not spellcasters. The man with the gunblade sighed loudly while he ran a hand through his hair.

“… Go.”

“Eh?” Aerith’s voice betrayed her – she sounded much more jaded than she possibly hoped to sound like.

“I said go, Aerith. You can still teleport yourself and the Princess out.”

“Like hell I will, Squall.” She frowned and turned around to look at Ienzo and Kairi. There was a vague glint in her eyes, something that Ienzo did not quite like. This look… His fears were validated once she started speaking. “You and the Princess get out of here, Ienzo. I can still rack up enough power to send the both of you back to the castle – but only the two of you. Tell Lord Ansem to reinforce the magic shields and wait this storm out. Every storm has an end, and this one will have too. But Radiant Garden needs to sit this one out. The stubborn old man won’t listen to us if we condemn the Princess of Heart and Ansem’s very own son to death out here, but if the two of you return and plead for this…”

Kairi opened her mouth to object, but stopped before she said anything. Ienzo knew that Aerith had a valid point. Unsurprisingly, the other woman in the group, Tifa, agreed to this plan. They were nodding and looking at Ienzo and Kairi with a stern expression he could not quite read. For some reason, even though their exhaustion was clear and easy to see, there seemed to be a new resolve burning within them. The healer raised her staff slowly, hoping to not aggravate the Heartless that were slowly closing in even further.

The spell took a few seconds, but this was enough time for hell to break loose. Just before Ienzo and Kairi were both carried away by the spell, they saw how the Heartless decided to close in completely and how they buried the other people under their mass.

It was terrifying to see how these people were just completely buried in black, with the same ugly crunching noises as before. After that the spell completed and the two were whisked away to the castle gates.

What happened after that was more a blur than anything to Ienzo. He had no idea what happened, and at some point he simply passed out from sheer stress.

 -

They went back to leaving world after world in search of a clue. Naturally they found nothing, but even as the days went on, they realised they were less tired than they had been before. It had most likely been stress that dragged them down before, but even now as the situation refused to change – they were still being chased, and nobody seemed to know Axel – they simply laughed it off and continued ever onwards. Even Isa broke out his formerly rare smiles more often. It felt like they were in a daze, and time didn’t matter at all anymore.

But even despite all of this, Axel’s eyes remained ever vigilant. His senses were trained on picking out noises of oncoming danger, Isa came to realise. No matter how peaceful the place, Axel would remain on edge and look behind him more often than the redhead wanted to admit. It saved their lives on more than one occasion since they were getting closer to the border between the Light Cycle they were in and the Realm of Darkness. Even in these twilight border regions, Heartless seeped in and out of the worlds. During one of these encounters, Isa finally found out what he found odd about the way Axel fought. The amnesiac seemed to not be trained as a normal fighter, but rather someone who could lead a small army during a war. Just thinking of Keyblades and wars in the same context made Isa snap out of his daze for just a few hours. With the border region worlds as gloomy as they appeared to be to someone born in the Realm of Light, it seemed like everything about the stranger was a mystery that was better left untouched. But the daze set back in when they entered the next world, and even ever-overthinking Isa stopped wrecking his brain on this issue.

However, shortly after that, they both realised a peculiar pattern in the movement of the Heartless. Mixed into the Heartless were the nonhuman Nobodies by now, and they all seemed to be following something – or someone. Heartless started ignoring the humans, and the Nobodies never paid them any mind either. Every creature continued on their merry way, somewhere into the Realm of Light, whereas the two travellers continued the opposite direction – closer to the Realm of Darkness.

It was after watching yet another group of low-ranking Nobodies and Heartless scuttle away through a dark portal, that Axel started frowning and crossed his arms.

“What’s the matter?” Isa asked and stopped to look at his partner.

“I don’t… like the way they move. I dunno, but something’s sounding my alarm. This movement pattern is too… strange. As if they’re being called by something… or someone.”

That was all Axel said before they continued walking. He seemed to think about something for a short while, but Isa knew better than to bother him about it. Pestering Axel never helped when it came to his memory, and waiting was something that Isa was rather good at anyway. If Axel remembered something or figured out what had caused him to say that, he would mention it.

The mountain path they followed ever winded down, and the forest around them was rustling in the soft wind that blew. Still, said wind did not manage to carry away the fog, but said fog got less dense the farther down they got. Maybe it were clouds and fog? Either way, this world they had ended up in was split into a handful large mountain regions, which were seemingly on top of floating islands of varying sizes. Every island was connected by several hanging bridges, but Isa and Axel had decided against crossing one of these. Somewhere down there had to be a settlement, or else there would not be a rather worn-looking path through the mountains and the forests. Beyond the fog, Isa was certain, were mountains that were made entirely of stone, or some that were covered in snow and ice – he’d read about such a world existing, but did not remember the name that the author had given this world. It seemed desolate and silent, as even the animals around here did not make a sound.

They just hoped they would reach a village before their supplies ran out. They were short on water, which was a danger many world hoppers faced during their constant travels.

“Say, Isa. What’s your opinion of this world? It’s kinda… dull, ain’t it?”

The blue-haired shrugged. “No idea. It has its own charm, like all worlds we were in had, but it’s dreadfully obvious that this one’s on the border to the Realm of Darkness. Also, if something like a storm happened while we’re up here, we’d be boned – the wooden bridges don’t seem like they’d withstand much of a storm before snapping and cutting us off.”

Both Axel and Isa froze when suddenly someone laughed somewhere behind them. Their reaction only prompted more laughter. “Oi, if you talk like that, we’ll be hit by a thunderstorm. Don’t jinx it.” Both turned around to look at the speaker, and were just met with a rather cheeky grin. “What, something on my face? Really, it’s not nice staring at a stranger like that, fellow world-hoppers. Though I did stop that a while ago. Anyway, the two of you look ready to drop dead. That’s why I started following you. If you can manage to stay on your feet for another hour, we’ll reach a small settlement.”

They were ready to drop dead – their resources were almost gone, after all. They had to be careful with food and water, and therefore one was rather hungry and the other slightly dehydrated. So the both of them simply nodded and agreed to follow their new tagalong partner.

Isa angrily stared into the black-haired’s back while staying as close to Axel as he could. Something about this young man seemed off, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Axel, too, had his eyes narrowed and seemed to be thinking about something. Twenty minutes passed in this silence, while the stranger had started humming a song that was hauntingly familiar. Wasn’t it a lullaby that people sang in Radiant Garden? However, just as Isa was about to voice this thought, Axel stopped and cleared his throat. The black-haired turned around with a small “What?” and looked at the two other men.

“You’re a Nobody.” It wasn’t a question, and Axel simply shook his head when the stranger raised an eyebrow. “Earlier there were a couple minor Nobodies skipping through the trees. At some point they stopped and went away, as if someone gave them an order to stop stalking us. Since minor Nobodies like Dusks follow orders of higher-up Nobodies that kept their human form after losing their heart… and you appearing out of thin air right behind us… well.

The man scratched the back of his head. “Well, the name’s Zack, not ‘nobody’… … Aw, jeez. Was it that obvious? Just don’t tell her, I beg you. She’s been acting extremely weird, and if you tell her you blew my cover that easily, Aqua’ll have my head for dinner.”

“… _Aqua_?” Isa’s voice sounded more shocked than he intended it to. Maybe it was because her childhood friend was still chasing them as far as Isa knew.

Zack just frowned a little – a rather odd behaviour for a Nobody. “She’s been on edge ever since she told us to gather everything and move out. And with gathering I mean she literally told us to take up arms. As if we’re going to fight a war we don’t know about. One that even she doesn’t know about yet.”

The Nobody fell silent again, but there was something burning in his eyes. It was such an intense gaze that even years later Isa would remember this exact moment, this strange look of both devotion and fear burned into his memories.

They had started walking again once Zack had confirmed he was indeed a Nobody. Though, by now, they had all slowed down. Even Zack.

Therefore, once again while overthinking things, Isa looked at their guide.

“What did you mean by… ‘don’t jinx it’? Earlier, when Axel and I were talking about… the weather.”

A shrug and a small laugh. “Oh, yeah. We’ve been here for a couple days since some of us needed a small break. The people in the village down this road were extremely friendly and allowed us to stay inside the empty houses and such. Well, that, and considering they used to be the village with the Keyblade Wielders of this world… they knew what we were and still offered us refuge. So after a day or two they started talking after seeing that Aqua has a Keyblade too. Wait, do you guys even know what a Keyblade is? Dunno, seems rather likely, but  you could just be unfortunate fools without a homeworld that ended up here by chance.” Axel curled his right hand into a fist as Zack spoke. “Well, anyway. The father went into the mountains and then a storm struck, and all they were able to recover was a dead Keyblade which belonged to that man. Two years after that, the mother was out there gathering stuff, and another storm happened and took her out. The older son refused to believe that the same thing happened to both his parents and set out to find his mother, who he presumed to be injured and unable to come back. Needless to say, the kid never came back either after yet another thunderstorm struck, and they found the mother’s belongings scattered close to the edge of the flying island. Three people, wiped out in the same mountain range by the same type of weather. As for the younger boy, despite him promising he would be good and keep the Keyblade alive in this world—“

Now Axel perked up and narrowed his eyes. “That kid vanished without a trace, never to be seen again. As if some bird of prey swooped in, caught the kid in its talons, and flew back out of reach until you couldn’t see them anymore.” The thoughtful tone of voice coming from Axel was rather alarming to be honest.

“… Exactly so. There were a couple more people that vanished without a trace, all from the same village and always during a thunderstorm or storm in general. And they all went into the mountains. So by now it’s considered bad luck if there’s bad weather up in the mountains.”

They remained silence for the rest of their way to the village that had endured these strange happenings. Axel himself looked rather pale by the time they arrived, but once more, Isa did not feel like prying.

 -

_A day after this, the Nobodies left before the mist had even remotely thinned out yet. Zack looked kind of lost by now, but Aqua simply told her companions to march on. The further they went, the more certain they were to realise where they had to go. Aqua just had a vague idea, it felt like a faint tug on an invisible leash put around her entire being. It was as if an invisible hand was guiding her along and slowly to where she had to go. But where did she have to go, and what was the point of it? She needed to know, and told her fellow Nobodies to move onwards, ever onwards._

_There had never been such a movement in the Nobody population, especially not among the humanoid versions. They rarely showed their faces out of the worlds they were born in, or the World that Never Was. What was even weirder about this particular progression was that the Nobodies were armed. Rarely did a sentient humanoid Nobody grab a weapon and march around with it, and now almost the entire population of the World that Never Was was out here and armed? Somehow it was hilarious to Aqua as she led her merry group into the next world._

_A few hours later, the blue eyes that met on the plains were brighter than the overcast sky in this world had ever been. The clouds made sure that no bright light made its way down to earth, but the eyes were sparkling regardless. Even inside her empty chest Aqua felt a dull throb when she looked into these eyes, years after seeing them last when they belonged to a child. She assumed that if she had a heart or any humanity left inside her, she would be crying, weeping even._

_“Miss… Miss Aqua…”_

_There were so many things she could have said to the teenager standing before her, but there was not a single coherent question that left her mouth. All she did was stare at the boy – wasn’t he 18 by now? – and wonder what had happened to him after he had vanished._

_“… I… I know I caused a lot of trouble, and… I understand now what you meant by… dangers of the outside… I… I’m sorry…”_

_Aqua shook her head slowly. “You’re… alive. You’re alive, and that’s all that really counts by now, Sora…”_

_There could probably have been better ways to reunite like that. Aqua remembered Sora as the kid that went missing, and Sora barely remembered Aqua at all, but they both knew that the other had changed. Sora looked vaguely scared and always looked around as if he was being chased. Aqua herself simply sighed once or twice, but showed no emotion otherwise. At some point she offered him a hand and took him along._

_A Somebody among the Nobodies. It made this part of the history of Nobodies even more confusing – Nobodies generally stayed away from Somebodies, even if they lived in a world majorly inhabited by Somebodies._

_They continued onwards, and at some point Zack realised that something was set into motion that they could not escape. They were here for a reason, a reason none of them knew, but even Sora followed fate’s gentle whisper. As Sora told them his story, the path they would walk became clear, but none of the Nobodies could really react to this sorrowful tale of loss and hope, and more injuries than a child could count._

_Zack was focused on something else, anyway. His thoughts were fixated on one simple fact that the two he’d picked up in the mountains had told him – one of them was from Radiant Garden._

_It had been literal years since he’d heard the name of the world he’d been born in. Literal years since he actually thought about the world he had left once the chance arose. One could easily hitchhike between worlds if they knew someone who had a Gummi Ship. And Zack’s parents had been friends with Cid Highwind – the only person in Radiant Garden who was qualified to build Gummi Ships. He was in fact so good at it that he’d left his position at the dragoons of the Castle Guards and opened a small shop. And Zack, foolish teenager that he was, had asked the man if there was any sort of ship being built that he could stow away on. And thus he did. It worked for a couple of worlds until he was finally found and kicked out. And that world he’d been kicked out in had been overrun by Heartless. The following story of losing his heart and all was painful enough as it was, but it made him feel like there was no way he would ever return home. He couldn’t._

_He paid the price for his freedom, and ended up among the Nobodies of the World that Never Was._

_… Radiant Garden._

_What was the world like now, he wondered. He’d been there when the Princess of Heart had been born once more, and he knew that she was most likely still with the Keyblade Wielders. He’d been 17 when he’d left. Almost 20 years had passed, 16 of which he had spent a Nobody and most likely presumed dead by everyone he knew back then._

_His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the scenery changed and the stench of blood hit his nose. Where had Aqua led them?_

_The Nobodies all shuffled around awkwardly and looked around. Sora didn’t even react to the darkness around, and the fact that everything smelled of blood. When Zack took a closer look around, he felt – yes, actually felt – like he was being punched in the face and laughed at. It seemed like a cruel joke that all the thoughts about a bright and peaceful world were shattered like that._

_The world Aqua had led them to on their way to where Sora said everything would happen… this world was Radiant Garden. Or, rather, a world that used to be Radiant Garden._

_Heartless were moving about, and the once clear skies were covered in a dark violet swirl. The houses all looked the same, but all Zack saw was that everything was abandoned. Some doors were still open, and the furniture inside the houses was kicked over. Everyone seemed to have left in a hurry._

_The flowerbeds he remembered were dull – the flowers that still managed to stand all hung their heads down and seemed to lament what had been lost._

_The Nobodies looked around in horror until they realised that the Heartless were leaving. Somewhere in the distance a shining transparent dome at least made clear that the survivors were all inside the castle of Ansem the Wise, huddling together and hiding underneath a giant protective spell._

_Aqua reminded everyone that they would move on soon. Everyone gathered around her, but Zack took another look around. This had to be a sick and twisted joke, with a punchline so horrible that it could not be real. This wasn’t the world he’d been born in. This was a grotesque prank. He stumbled over to the rest of the Nobodies almost blindly, something in his supposedly empty chest throbbing painfully._

_He was angry. Angry, and sad. He had assumed he wouldn’t feel anything, but the anger and sadness mixed together so intensely that his eyes stung. He was about to start crying, whether of fury or depression he didn’t know. He wasn’t supposed to feel any of this, but he did._

_His missing heart yearned for something to break, for him to scream and cry._

_Instead, Zack did nothing. He just followed Aqua, unnaturally silently._

 -

“You… what?”

“I know that name. I know that _person_.” Axel shook his head with a grim expression.

“Then… tell me?”

“See, that’s the thing… I don’t remember _much_. I just know that I know this person. That we’re… well, were… in similar positions of power. Like we shared a similar rank or something. A rank of what, where? I don’t know. I just know we didn’t like each other. We probably hated one another.” Axel paused for a moment. “… He has yellow eyes. Like a Heartless. Not this… cyan that people in the village mentioned.”

“So you met his Heartless, then?”

“No… Heartless don’t take human form. But he was… _human_. Human through and through. He was… drilled to not act particularly human, but it still shone through underneath a thick layer of scorn and bitterness.”

The redhead fell silent and rubbed his temples. He seemed to be in pain now that he remembered something. What struck Isa as odd was that he remembered someone who was supposed to be dead. Then again, the villagers and Zack had mentioned that no one had ever found the body of Vanitas. With a sigh, the blue-haired leaned against his partner, and they continued sitting there like that for about twenty minutes. Once that time was over, Axel got up and offered Isa his hand.

“We should keep moving. We’re still being chased after all… and we spent a week in this world. Time to go.”

As they moved on hand in hand, Terra and Riku gave up the chase a few worlds away. They returned to Radiant Garden with their heads hung low, and expected Master Eraqus, Kairi and Ansem the Wise to scold them for failing like that.

But instead they were greeted with cold glares inside the castle of Radiant Garden. Ansem the Wise and Master Eraqus were out of the world at the moment they were told, they sought help by former Keyblade Master Yen Sid somewhere close to Twilight Town. Kairi was nowhere to be seen, but the castle guard they spoke to mentioned that she would most likely be hiding somewhere with Ienzo. With that, the man had turned around to console a teenager around Riku’s age, who was worriedly asking for someone named Kain.

It was painfully obvious that Radiant Garden was on the verge of falling to darkness, and Riku and Terra could not do a thing. They were exhausted, the constant switching between worlds finally bringing both of them close to a phenomena called timestroke. It was something that people experienced when their bodies were under too much stress and they were about to become Undying. Terra and Riku knew they had to stop now or they would become something forbidden by all laws of time.

They were both exhausted. Too exhausted to carry on or look for Kairi. Terra almost admitted it aloud to Even that Isa had finally managed to prove he was stronger than Terra.

Tomorrow they would look for Ienzo and Kairi.

Tomorrow…

 -

It had taken her a few tries, but eventually Xion had managed to sneak away from Ring 0. Roxas had not even noticed that Xion looked uncomfortable, and he had instead focused all his energy on Naminé. Edmy was not known for noticing everything, but getting away from Relena’s ever watchful gaze was harder than anticipated. How she had eventually managed it was beyond Xion, but she was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth like that. She ran, and then left for the world they had just escaped from – Twilight Town. The city was a very pleasant place, but Xion was not here to sightsee or anything. Not, she was looking for something – someone – and it was rather important that she stayed focused on her goal.

After an hour she found who she had been looking for. Squished into a dark corner he was just making more or less pathetic sounds as he attempted to somehow heal himself. But he was not trained in healing magic, let alone dark healing magic. He was trained to destroy, not to make sure he wouldn’t just pathetically die from pain and infected wounds and such. The stench of burnt flesh and clothes still hung around him, and Xion flinched before clearing her throat.

“Uhm… Excuse me, 1-1…?”

He snapped his yellow eyes around and groaned. “What the hell do you want? Came here to gloat or something? Or you wanna finish me off? Or, wait, I got a better idea. You’re here to drag me back to the Keyblade Graveyard to trade me in for your own freedom. That would be awesome.” His laugh was dry, and Xion almost turned around and fled. At least she would have, if he hadn’t continued muttering something that he thought she wouldn’t hear. “As if that would help anyone. My brother would just die with me, and there’s no way that girl even knows about that.”

Xion reached out and gently put her hand on a part of his arm where he hadn’t been burned. Yet he still hissed and tried backing further into the corner he’d been hiding in.

“Your… brother’s with us, then?”

“…”

“Is… is your brother being used as some sort of… leash, to make sure you’re kept in place? So you’re subdued and follow orders…?”

“…”

“I see… Just… just come out of that corner, will you… Ring 1 isn’t taught basic healing spells, and you’re dark touched… you definitely need someone to use a dark healing spell on you… Please come out, I just want to help you…”

He hesitated for a moment, but Xion saw that eventually he gave up his resistance and moved. Maybe he deemed his dignity mangled enough to accept help of someone he had tried to kill earlier. The light of Twilight Town seemed to blind him for a moment when he finally moved out of the shade, but that was really all Xion needed. She put both her hands on his chest – which he answered with a low hiss through his clenched teeth – and started casting the spell. Dark magic wasn’t that hard, and once she started he seemed to relax slightly. Yes, the obvious pain vanished from his features the longer she cast the spell, and eventually he opened his eyes and shoved her hands away. He got up and stared at her for a moment, before huffing angrily and turning around to walk away.

Xion however reached forward and grabbed his arm.

“Wait, 1-1.”

“Let _go_. My business with you is _done_. Thanks for healing me and all, but you should really get going. The punishment for a Ringleader who fails is death. And I’m really inclined to start hunting you again, if only to keep my brother save. ‘Cause if I fail, he’ll get the same treatment as me. Which is being murdered. So, unless I somehow manage to kidnap him back, the only way to keep him alive is by killing you.” He pulled his arm out of her grasp and started walking again, but Xion merely stomped her foot.

“I said wait!” He actually stopped, which surprised Xion enough to throw her off. “A-At least tell me your name, 1-1.”

“…” She could basically hear him rolling his eyes. “Vanitas.” And with that he started marching off again.

Actually, marching was the wrong word. He was limping away slowly. He wasn’t completely healed, and if he let her heal him completely he would owe her something. Which made Xion think. If she somehow managed to make the Ringleader of Ring 1 join her cause, then the rebellion would have at least a sliver of a chance. Ring 1 was strong, but they followed their Ringleader more than any other Ring out there.

Persuading Vanitas to come with her would be a different kind of war, however. He seemed stubborn and without a weak point… except that she knew his weak point.

“Please, hold on a second. What if I knew how to make sure neither you nor your brother would die for you failing this?”

He stopped. At first Xion thought because he was actually going to listen to her, but once she breathed in to continue talking, he broke into laughter. It wasn’t happy, it wasn’t even bitter. It was just a flat out dead laugh which sounded as hollow as his eyes probably looked by now.

“Don’t bluff like that, _kid_. And before you get up and mad for me calling you kid when I look your age, you’re wrong. Take a wild guess how old I am. 17, you’d think from my looks and all. Well, no. You’re wrong.” He snorted and finally turned around. He looked exhausted. “I’m 29. There’s a reason I’m 1-1, and that reason is not that I’m ruthless, or somehow managed to kill the previous 1-1 in combat. No, I’ve been here from the very beginning. He just made sure that after a certain point I wouldn’t end up an adult, someone who was more powerful than him. The boss isn’t that stupid, kid. He made sure to stunt my growth as much as possible while ensuring that I would not be the weakest of them all. What better way is there to fuck up a kid than making sure it’ll never age? Furthermore, making the Ringleader of the strongest Ring no more than a half-sized pint would surely strike fear into the other Ringleaders’ hearts. And thus I was made the literal Undying Ringleader of Ring 1. I’m more powerful than any other member of this godforsaken Keyblade Army he built, but I won’t ever be strong enough to take him and Left Hand out.” He laughed again. “And my brother’s just there to torture me, to make sure I won’t do something as stupid as plotting a rebellion or joining it. Forget it, kid. I’d rather die from a timestroke than endanger my brother even more than I already did by being his older brother.”

His shoulders slumped and the formerly proud and dangerous vision of 1-1 crumbled before Xion’s very eyes. He looked beaten, exhausted and rather vulnerable right now. His golden eyes looked dull and seemed to stare right through Xion, but she was still thinking of how to make sure he would join her side. Everything that he just said was important, somehow, and Xion took a long deep breath before shaking her head.

She just offered him a hand, to which he reacted with narrowed eyes.

“Well, doesn’t matter. You can still save your brother, and that without killing me and my brother or any of the members of Ring 8 that are still alive.”

“... Are you d—“

“No, I’m serious. There is a way. But for that, I need you to trust me. Your trust and the word that you’ll be on our side, no matter what happens.”

His expression froze.

“I’ll ask for nothing more in return. We can save your brother, and we can save you. I just need you to trust me.”


	10. Rebels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (i apologise for the long-ass rant ienzo goes on in this one)

“Vanitas” – A citizen of a world we passed by on our way. Well, to be honest, he’s much more of a horror story to tell children at night to keep them out of the mountains, but that’s beside the point. The story they tell clearly states that out of his family of four people, he was the third to go. He’s been declared dead for years now. Now, this is where stuff gets kinda weird. I clearly remember someone called Vanitas. That person has black hair, like the kid in the story they tell. He too has a Keyblade. The only difference between that world’s Vanitas and the one I remember is that one has cyan eyes, and the other yellow. Other than that they perfectly overlap, looks-wise. Spiky hair, moderately pale skin, it’s all there. Though, his skin might have changed in the past…

 -

“Dark-touched” – A term for people who were born in the Realm of Light but tinkered with the darkness. Often those people are just too curious for their own good, but the naturally clashing powers change their bodies. If one of the light becomes dark-touched, they lose their bright eye colours and it gets replaced with a strikingly bright yellow. Their hair turns silver, and their skin dark. Often those traits are passed on to children, which makes these children at least partially dark-touched. Riku seems to have had at least one parent who had been dark-touched. Otherwise his hair would not be this particularly odd shade.

 -

“Light-touched” – The opposite of the dark-touched, naturally. In other words, people who were born in the Realm of Darkness and who have tinkered with the light one too many times. Like dark-touched, these people change physically. People born in the Dark Realm have naturally dark hair – in case of the light-touched, the hair turns almost violently blue. Their eyes change from anything between warm yellow and dark red to violet, and often their extremely pale skin starts getting unnaturally freckled. Dilan seems to have had at least one parent who was light-touched, which would explain his violet eyes. As for Isa… he too seems to be related to someone of that kind. Blue hair does not occur naturally among people of the Realm of Light…

 -

“X-shaped scar” – Speaking of Isa… He has one, Vanitas has one… I have one. Isa’s is the most outstanding of these, as it’s scratched across the bridge of his nose, almost perfectly dividing his face into four parts. Vanitas’ was a little less easy to see, as it was located on his cheek. Mine’s easy to hide, as it’s just on my shoulder. In fact, I hide it. Underneath that scarf I’d been wearing the entire time. Actually, thinking about taking the scar off makes me nauseous. Something bad will happen if I take it off for too long, but I can’t remember what will happen. Whatever could that mean?

 -

“Link Fate Wound” – Funny how you forget about things when they stop bothering you, right? It has been a while since one of them bled, and according to Isa that means that whatever was going on has stopped. He’s unnaturally dodgy about this, and Ienzo has been too. I guess I overheard them talking about something relating to deaths, so naturally they were not going to explain this to me. Oh well. Since they stopped bleeding and such, I guess it’s not that big of a deal anymore.

 -

“Keyblade” – A fabled weapon which has been used to do much good in the past – though its creation brought upon us the greatest of all disasters to ever hit the United World. A modern Keyblade is made of parts of its wielder’s heart, which allows them to pierce the boundaries between the worlds. There used to be five types of Keyblades, but except for two the others have died out. And even the dark-type Keyblades are rare, since Keyblade Wielders of the Dark Realm seldom leave their homes, and there is no need for something boundary-piercing in the Dark Realm anyway. According to books the five types of Keyblades used to be infused with an element connected to their wielder at some point in the past, but between the Keyblade War and the Recovery Era, those elements all but vanished, like the X-Blade and Kingdom Hearts before them.

 -

“X-Blade and Kingdom Hearts” – The X-Blade is the only weapon which can unbar the way to Kingdom Hearts, heart of all hearts. Before the Keyblade War, all hearts returned to Kingdom Hearts after the death of the person, and Kingdom Hearts returned them back to the nothingness inside it, which allowed new hearts to be born. Due to Kingdom Hearts’ absence in the worlds, all hearts are locked in eternal rebirth. There are still new hearts being born, and those new hearts as well as the reborn ones eventually lead to severe overpopulation within worlds where living beings thrive. Which, in turn, makes the worlds fall into darkness, or return to the light. The solution to this overpopulation issue would be obtaining the X-Blade, naturally, but… The X-Blade broke. Nobody has yet managed to recreate this weapon from the Ages of Fairy Tales.

* * *

 

“So, enlighten us. Where’d you get marked?” She would have had a nice voice, were it not that edge to it. She sounded rougher than she needed to.

Roxas merely sighed and shrugged. He had to avoid talking to the other people in this place, but after Xion had disappeared, Edmy had dragged the unofficial head of the Ring and this woman along. While the man with the oddly rose-coloured hair and Edmy had vanished, the woman had stayed behind and critically eyed both Roxas and Naminé as they waited for the others to return from their search for Xion.

“… Eye.” Both the blonde woman and Naminé looked at him with surprise. “Here, under the eyepatch.”

“… Whoa. That’s a new one. You got that, Lu?” Naturally just in this moment, the others had to return, sadly without Xion. The blonde woman leaned forward a little. “Does it impair your sight at all? I mean, you’re wearing the eyepatch and all…”

Roxas shook his head. “No. The eye’s not impaired in any way. Naturally I don’t see anything with the eyepatch covering it, but it’s a trade-off we had to risk to disable the tracking utilities of these sigils.”

“Alright, and your sister’s…”

“The opposite eye. To mirror the twins part and all.”

Silence fell over the room. It was the rebel nest, and built right underneath the normal sleeping space of the members of Ring 0. Roxas had never been here; he wasn’t sure if anyone other than 1-1 had ever seen Ring-0’s members in their assigned spaces. Building a hideout right beneath 0-0’s nose was quite daring, but hoarding weapons in here was even more daring – members of Ring number 0 were not allowed any sort of weapon. If, according to what Roxas had heard so far, Left Hand found out about this place, there’d be a mass execution of every member of this Ring. They used to be even more than the 20 now here, but this man had a short temper and not everyone got away with simply verbal abuse or a punch in the face. They were, after all, just servants of a sort.

For some reason he was glad he’d been here because of his Keyblade, not because of whatever the members of Ring 0 were here for.

Lu – Lumaria – tapped his foot with a sigh. He was tall, over 30, and easily one of the most impressive people in this place. Were it not for his dark skin tone due to all the outside work and the fact that he was rather muscular, he’d have looked like a perfect fit for a fairy tale prince. His voice just helped that image, as he spoke in a very specific regal tone, all of that with his overall little but effective movement. Roxas had always imagined the unofficial leader of Ring 0 to be kind of a brute to withstand being constantly working around the boss himself.

But Lumaria was surprisingly pleasant, even though his blue eyes were now narrowed a little.

“And you two are absolutely certain that you don't know if 1-1 did survive the attack or not?”

“We told you, we don’t.” Naminé nodded after Roxas said that.

“Damn. Damn it all!” A fist met the wall. “And that after we go out of our way to drag his brother and Ring 1 out of immediate danger and all that for—“

“Wait, what?” The former member of Ring 8 had not noticed he had jumped to his feet. “What did you just say?”

Lumaria groaned and shook his head. “I said that we dragged 1-1’s brother, the Ring that brother is in, and Ring 1 entirely out of danger. The rebellion’s kind of a rumour among the other Rings, and the big man was getting kinda suspicious of how long it took Vanitas to track you lot down. So he was about to off Ring 1 and might have gone off to get 1-1’s brother next. Damn… And Vanitas just…”

Someone cleared their throat in the room, a voice that did not belong to anyone here. Heads turned around to look for the speaker.

“I appreciate you mourning for me like that, but there’s actually no reason to drop a bouquet on my hypothetical grave yet. Once this is all over, you might have to, but now’s definitely not the time, Lu, so don’t worry.”

Everyone in the room held their breath as they realised it was 1-1 standing in the room, his yellow eyes as cold as ever. He was, however, bruised and pale and kind of hunched over, and his voice was flat, but he seemed to still be in one piece. Right behind him stood Edmy and Xion – and Roxas realised his sister was extraordinarily pleased with herself in this very moment.

“The rebellion’s already a murmured rumour among the Rings? We don’t have much time, then. But first things first, Lu… did you really, actually, drag Ven out here?”

 -

_The day they got picked up had been odd indeed. Ring 12 was barely accounted for to begin with – their entire purpose to camouflage themselves well enough to never be found. It was different from Ring 8 in the way that those of 8 had been drilled in survival. 12 had never been one for survival, they were to stay perfectly hidden and remain out of sight in the first place, so that no survival situation would happen. Barely trained in combat they were believed to be the weakest members of the Keyblade Army, but none of them particularly cared about that. No training meant they could get creative with their battle styles, which helped Ventus further the fact that he wielded the Keyblade backhanded. Everyone else in this place who had been somehow trained by the boss were not fully capable of wielding the Keyblade like that. This, doubled with the unique attacking style of using wind magic wherever he could, made Ventus more than capable of defending himself. He had dodged death like that several times in fact – the way the numbers of 12 got depleted was that if they were found by either Left Hand or the boss himself they were as good as dead. Unless they put up some kind of a fight._

_But, lately, they’d spent most time brooding in the shade. Ever since the uprising and eventual vanquishing of Ring 8, a strange aura had been spreading through this entire place. It was like something was making every hair on their bodies stand up. The air was charged with a certain energy that none of them particularly liked. And therefore, they found it pointless to continue their game of hide and seek and returned to huddle here in the shade._

_Ventus had folded his hands together and stared at the back of his left hand. He had lost the glove on that hand about a year ago, and it gave him the ability to plainly see the cross-shaped scar scratched into his skin. Everyone here had one, even Right Hand. What the purpose of that thing was, none of them knew. There had to be a reason, or else they wouldn’t all share it. Some of the older people here called it “Sigil”, though most didn’t know why the boss had called it that. Maybe 1-1 knew. 0-0 certainly knew, since he lacked one and always looked smug, but no one right in their head would have asked that man anything. Talking to him was rather pointless, and he was infamous of killing people he found annoying. How Ring 0 managed to be as bold as they were was a mystery to members of the other Rings._

_Staring at the scar just reminded him of a story he’d overheard his father tell his brother. Something about the X-Blade. It had taken Ventus several years to figure out what that meant, and he’d almost given Master Eraqus a heart attack when he’d asked about it. He couldn’t recall the exact tone of voice, or the expression Master Eraqus had worn, he just remembered the kind man getting startled…_

_… Actually, he barely remembered any of the faces of the people that had once mattered. His parents were nothing more than a colourful smudge and the only thing he remembered was his mother’s black hair. Maybe his father had been blonde. Terra and Aqua were a little less blurry than that, but their faces were still a mystery, along with Master Eraqus’. They’d look a little different now, anyway. Years had passed._

_The only one he kind of remembered was his brother, but that was mostly because that had been the most traumatising incident of all._

_“I’m gonna find mum, Ven.”_

_That sentence; and this dead serious expression which was way too intense for a kid his age was all he could recall, though. The last time he’d seen his brother he’d worn a confident smile and his whole face was basically one giant reassurance. Why would anyone in the village let this child, who had only just lost his parents, go into the mountains like that? The villagers’ reasoning had been spotty at best, and at worst they had just admitted they didn’t care about this black-haired kid with blank cyan eyes scramble off into the wilderness to find his missing parent. And some of the older children would go on about his Vanitas fell to his death, or was whisked off by the giant birds living underneath the flying islands._

_Ven screwed up his face and shook his head. He had to stop thinking about the depressing fact that he’d lost his home twice by now._

_The winds across the plain rose, and the sounds of sands hitting scrap metal blew along with it. Everyone in Ring 12 raised their hands to shield their faces from the incoming sand._

_With the wind came a voice, however._

_“Ring 12? Are you Ring 12?”_

_He and his fellow captives turned to look from where this voice had come. None of them had ever met this guy before they realised, but they still lowered their guards. Something about this guy was just way too relaxing. After a few moments a girl asked if this guy was from Ring 0, which immediately made everyone sigh in relief once he said he was. Ring 0 was the least likely to attack._

_“Darn. He was right to tell us to take care of you lot…”_

_“You’re really Ring 0? Does that mean you’re not marked?” It had naturally been the oldest in this group to ask this. He’d always been unusually curious about these things – their Ringleader knew something but did not share it._

_The member of Ring 0 merely raised an eyebrow. “Yup, that’s right. Anyway, I got sent to gather you lot up and get you to somewhere safer and less sandy than here. Funny coincidence, but we at 0 also are gonna stage a mutiny, and you guys would be much more useful than any member of my Ring if you were to agree to help us out. Either way, I’m supposed to bring you all to safety, so you can discuss that with… whaddaya call them? Ringleaders? Anyway, you can talk to Lu about that once we’re there.”_

_Their Ringleader agreed to going along with what this guy suggested, and the rest of the Ring simply complied. They were all under their Ringleader’s command anyway. The man from Ring 0 just smiled brightly at them and motioned for them to follow him. All he remarked was that help of any kind would be useful if Ring 12 was sick of just sitting around like that. Nobody said anything more after that – being quiet was all they were really good at, anyway._

_The hidden camping place of Ring 0 was impressive, though. Right underneath their own leader’s nose, several caves carved into the stone. How long had it taken them to make this place? They were not natural, that much was easy to see. Time seemed to pass even slower than out there, though, and after a week Ventus was sick of this place._

_He didn’t pay much attention to when newcomers arrived. They were talking to Lumaria about something. The only thing of note was that the boy was apparently a survivor of Ring 8, but other than that he was an unremarkable teenager. The girl was interesting for a second, because even from afar one could tell that she was fully capable of pulling her own weight in magical ability alone. But even after that, she was just some 15-year-old girl. Ventus leaned backwards against the stone walls with crossed arms. Those kids had barely seen anything other than this place, and he almost pitied them. He’d seen several worlds in his 23-year life, but honestly, only one had captured his heart. He started dozing off and daydreamed about the Land of Departure, until someone saying his voice ripped him out of this beautiful dream._

_The voice sounded somehow familiar, and the way it had been pronounced made him almost jump up subconsciously. Instead he slowly rose back to his feet and looked around. Several members of his Ring were staring at him, and the members of Ring 0 here were waiting for something to happen, certainly._

_At the entrance of the room stood some teenager he’d never seen before. In front of her was yet another teenager with brilliant yellow eyes._

_Right Hand._

_Ventus involuntarily froze – he’d heard stories about this one teenager in particular, who was as strong as he was cruel. This image however did not fit. This teenager seemed jaded, his entire body kind of lopsided as he was trying to keep his balance. This supposed unstoppable force of nature was exhausted and injured, barely as intimidating as Ventus had assumed he would be._

_Eventually the yellow eyes stopped on Ventus, and suddenly the teenager’s expression changed. It was a look that seemed to fit the last expression he’d seen his brother pull at him almost perfectly, and Ven’s heart suddenly stopped. This black hair loosely falling all over the place seemed familiar, and even the yellow eyes looked like something he’d seen before – just in cyan._

_It seemed absurd that this teenager was the same person, however. Vanitas would be almost 30 by now, Ven assumed, and so he shook his head. Which only made the teenager smile a toothy grin._

_“How’d you even pull that one off, Lu? I tried finding them for years, and I’m infamous for my sharp sight. And now here they all stand, as if you’re telling me I was just looking the wrong direction.”_

_The Ringleader of Ring 0 just smiled in his calm way and shrugged. “Well, Vanitas, we all look where we’re not supposed to.”_

_“It’s… it’s an incredible stunt to pull off, Lu. Really. I thought I was going to die either back there or here again, and he with me. Yet I’m standing here, and he’s just staring at me like he did all those years ago. Although there’s one hell of a confused disgust mixed into the expression. He sure isn’t the kid whose mother I tried getting back for him like back then anymore. Seven hells, I swear not even a Mist Bird would scare me as much as this is right now.”_

_Vanitas. Mist Bird._

_No way. There was no way this teenager was from his homeworld and had this name. A few heartbeats passed, and all of a sudden, the supposedly cold-as-ice Right Hand’s legs just couldn’t support his weight anymore. The almost invincible flash of darkness crumpled to the floor with his face buried in his hands. He was crying, and nothing here could’ve covered up this sudden show of vulnerability – if it weren’t for the crying, everyone still saw the ugly burns that Xion had not been able to fix properly._

_Ventus’ older brother._

 -

The sudden movement of the Nobodies should have been one of their concerns, but neither Axel nor Isa particularly wasted much of a thought on the Nobodies after they’d left the world they’d met in. High above them was just the seemingly endless sky with equally many stars glittering above them. This, and the three moons sparkling up there, drenched the grassy plain they walked on in a pale light. This world seemed completely devoid of life other than the grass, but Isa and Axel took this as a nice change of pace. At day, this entire world was just brilliantly blue and green, and the smell of fresh grass was simply refreshing after the constant fog of the worlds near the border to the Realm of Darkness. At night this place was just bright silver with dark blue, which was stunning in its own way – there were no nights like this in Radiant Garden. The air wasn’t as clear as it was here, and the skies were usually covered in clouds at this time of the year as well. For someone who loved stargazing as much as Isa this was the worst, but in this world they had not seen even a single cloud which obstructed the brilliant blue at day or the countless stars at night.

They walked shoulder by shoulder, hand in hand, for a while, at least until they sat down to take a rest and to look at the sky together.

“Oh, look, a shooting star!”

“Children in Radiant Garden wish on these, you know.”

“Well, if you say that… you know what’s funny about shooting stars, then?”

“What’s so funny about them, Axel? They’re just stars.”

Axel shook his head and looked straight at Isa. “Well, every star’s supposed to be another world. I thought a bookworm like you knew that. Well, maybe you do and you’re just playing dumb, but like, whatever. I’ll tell you anyway. So, worlds. Countless of them. If there’s really that many of them out there, then there’s gotta be one with a second Isa. A second me. A second Ansem the Wise, maybe even a second Lea.”

Isa winced a little and looked up at the sky again. Another shooting star passed over their heads, and Axel sighed.

“What if one of these shooting stars was the world where the other Isa lived? What if you’ve made a wish on a shooting star that had blinked out with another version of you in it? That would just be cruelly ironic, wouldn’t it?”

“… Now you just sound stupid.”

“It’s possible. Anyway, back at the Graveyard I always wondered if there’s another me out there who didn’t fuck up as bad as I did. But… well, first of all, who’s this ‘me’ I’m talking about? I don’t know that guy. I don’t know what mistake he made to keep wishing that. Second of all, why did he wish on an overcast sky that barely opened up? There were no stars back at the Graveyard, as far as I’ve remembered…”

Isa tilted his head, his ponytail sliding off his shoulder.

After this night they agreed on what they would do next.

They’d try finding the place that Axel called “Graveyard”… the place where he’d wished on shooting stars that apparently weren’t there at all. It could be a vital clue to who he had used to be.

 -

The halls seemed to be closing in on Ienzo every time he left the library. The library was empty except for him and Kairi, but out here in the halls, hushed whispers seemed to follow him wherever he went. At first it had just been these whispers, but some people started being openly hostile once the shock of losing everyone except for Ienzo and Kairi out there settled. The following complete magical lockdown directed by Even had caused everyone to be quite jumpy due to the air being magically charged with several traces of the world’s strongest spellcasters. Ienzo should have been one of them, but neither Ansem nor Even let him help them out. Instead he was locked in and locked out at the same time, and he felt like he was stuck in the Lanes Between, hopelessly drifting around while everyone seemed to pull him apart with their glares and stares. He felt like highly toxic material which people avoided but still hated.

No one had believed the truth out of their mouths. Well, at least everyone but Ansem the Wise, but Ansem was even more busy than ever before. Other than after waking up, Ienzo had not seen the man, only heard his voice in the room where the spellcasters held up the barrier. Therefore people placed their blame on him, and him alone. Kairi was naturally innocent – she was the Princess of Heart, after all. She was too pure to leave her partners out there to die, so people made up this ridiculous lie of Ienzo grabbing her and fleeing like a coward to save his own life.

The names of their comrades seemed to follow him wherever they went. They’d become some sort of symbol for the proud and courageous sacrifice made to save Radiant Garden, whereas Ienzo had been promoted to the one to put the blame on. Ansem the Wise’s black sheep apprentice.

Dilan had just quietly put a hand on his shoulders the only time they’d met in here, and this one gesture had meant more to Ienzo than the black-haired man could’ve known.

It didn’t make the walls in here less choking, less narrow and cold though.

This was exactly how Isa had described these walls to feel like, and Ienzo realised this with a shudder. Instead of homely and warm and welcoming, Isa had always felt like a prisoner unable to escape the judging stares of the family of the one he’d murdered. It was this intensity of slowly getting crushed by these walls that made it hard to breathe sometimes, and Ienzo had never felt like his home was out to kill him like that.

How Isa had managed to stay relatively sane and not go mad with grief and rage at those walls that were slowly constricting him and cutting him off from fresh air was beyond Ienzo. It explained those sudden bouts of berserking that Isa had every once in a while, but suddenly Ienzo understood so much more. The anger, distress, regret, hatred, even more regret doubled with remorse, the maddening sadness… Isa was much more durable than anyone in this castle had ever known. Even Ansem the Wise had no idea how ridiculously strong this kid that was scared of the outside world had become over the years, and keeping him locked in like that even as an adult became even more absurd in Ienzo’s eyes.

He’d been sitting in the library pondering on this for quite a while, so the sound of the door suddenly opening almost made him jump. Three people walked in, their expressions sullen. One of them slid over to Ienzo and gently touched his shoulder as if to ask him to not get mad. Once Ienzo realised who had followed Kairi, his eyes automatically narrowed out of habit. The air got tense in this supposed sanctuary, until the first hostility passed to make room for the overall lost feeling.

“Master Terra, Riku. You’re back from your mission, I take?”

“Ienzo. We are.”

The brown-haired man sighed and sat down in one of the couches. He looked exhausted and drained, not unlike how Ienzo assumed he looked as well. The apprentice of Ansem the Wise raised his eyebrows.

It was Terra, though, who spoke first. “They blame you and Kairi for the deaths of these people, right?”

“Indeed they do. More me than Kairi, though.”

“Thought so. Actually, they blame us as well. But for every death that occurred out there so far. This entire situation’s our fault according to these people.”

Kairi’s hand on Ienzo’s shoulder tightened. “How come, Master Terra?” Even her voice seemed faint, distant somehow.

It was the most ridiculous tale Ienzo had ever heard in his entire life – and Ienzo had heard quite a few bullshit made-up tales in his life. The people of Radiant Garden blamed the Keyblade Wielders for having left some sort of opening in the shield of light by travelling here and leaving for home again soon after. This tear in the magical barrier had lured in Heartless after Heartless, until they had rained from the sky in grey clouds, until the natural brightness of the City of Light was almost dimmed down enough to cause it to fall into darkness completely and blink out. The ones of the Land of Departure had apparently noticed the mistake they had made, but did nothing to close the tear and prevent this situation. As if to say “let the world handle this by itself; if Radiant Garden is really as bright as they say, the Heartless and the darkness won’t come here”. And now they even refused to help fight these Heartless off. Complete and utter nonsense, as Ienzo very well knew.

He shook his head when Riku finished after Terra had lost the will to continue this tale.

“These Heartless out there… they’re not a natural occurrence. Someone deliberately gathered them and hurled them at us, something we could have never prepared for even if we saw it coming. Not even a million Keyblades could dim this flood. It’s rare… but it happens. That Heartless follow someone’s call instead of just being blind and attacking everything that moves and has a heart. Whoever seized control over this mob must’ve done quite the stunt to the world’s balance, and they must have an intense tie to darkness to make them this vicious… The worst affront they can manage would make them gain control over them like that… What’s the matter, Riku?”

The silver-haired cringed a little. “The worst… affront… would be trying to… recover something lost in the Keyblade War, right…?” The Keyblade-Master-in-training looked terrified, and Terra put a hand on his shoulder while Kairi covered her mouth.

Ienzo merely nodded and sighed. “Correct. I’ve been able to get my hands on books that Master Ansem had declared off-limits for everyone but him. It’s not like he has to worry about this right now, mind you. Anyway, with all signs suggest that someone’s trying to recover the key to Kingdom Hearts. The legendary X-Blade itself. The peace we all live in is artificial, and a change in overall powers like that would shatter the peace like glass. Considering our magical shield quite literally shattered for some reason, there’s got to be someone pulling the strings in the background with a sufficient arsenal of raw power to upset the balance like this. Considering the outburst of sudden darkness in the Realm of Light, and the fact we received reports from someone in the Realm of Darkness that light was spreading unnaturally… Well, someone’s definitely trying to release all Keyblades they can. Naturally, the amount of Keyblade Wielders has decreased dramatically since the last recorded attempt of recovering the X-Blade, so overall damage shouldn’t be as high as back then. There are still worlds where everyone spontaneously born with the sign on their hand that they can wield a Keyblade are killed. What should further decrease the power outburst is that the amount of different Keyblades has dramatically declined in the past few centuries. There used to be five kinds with infinitely many elemental combinations, but the elements have been locked away since the Keyblade War, and the kinds all died down to three. You three have Keyblades of Light, the most common. There aren’t any Keyblade Wielders recorded to live in the Realm of Darkness, which makes the last recorded Keyblade of Darkness to have died out in the Land of Departure some years ago.”

Terra went unnaturally pale for a second, but nodded regardless to confirm Ienzo’s words.

“Keyblades of Heart died out here in Radiant Garden several hundred years ago. The last Wielder of one was a woman who sacrificed her entire life and life force to build a magical wall around the world she loved more than anything else. Her life fed our barrier, and it was the task of the current ruler to keep this barrier as strong as ever. Alas, something happened to break her spell on our world, which just effectively turned her sacrifice from heroic to absolutely pointless several hundred years after she died. There’s Heartless everywhere, and we can’t do a damn thing about them.”

Kairi was chewing on her fingernails at this point, and Riku was just staring at her. Terra and Ienzo angrily stared at the floor, and the silence in the library as almost as tense as the air outside in the halls. It was just awkward to have formerly opposing sides thrust into the same situation, and the fact that they were talking about this kind of thing only made it worse. Eventually Terra raised his head again with a glum expression.

“… Ienzo. While we were out there, we heard rumours from people… and… well. What would… the disappearance of several Keyblade Wielders and fleeting mentions of a ‘Keyblade Army’ being raised at the Keyblade Graveyard mean? Would it fit into this whole situation?”

Ienzo’s defiant stare at the floor became overall grim and he sighed while closing his eyes. Terra licked his dry lips while waiting for the confirmation of the biggest fear he’d had since first hearing this. He was supposed to be the brave hero of the Keyblade, but he honestly wished he wasn’t here right now. Nothing good could come out of a lot of Keyblade Wielders at the Keyblade Graveyard. Eventually Ienzo opened his eyes again and continued in a slightly ashamed mumble.

“You have to know, scientists like me have tried to recreate the X-Blade. Several times in the course of history did people, most of them from Radiant Garden, in fact, did they leave a bloody mark on the pages of history. There’s blood trickling through history books that not many people are aware of. Every single theory has ended in bloodshed and often the murder of all subjects as well as the scientists involved. The most recent attempt was conducted with a voluntary Keyblade Wielder from the Land of Departure getting his heart ripped into two – one half of darkness, one half of light. The man himself had been from the Realm of Darkness, which is irrelevant; all human being’s hold the same share of darkness and light within them. This person’s two halves were made to fight one another at the Keyblade Graveyard, overseen by the scientists and their training partner who had split them in half. They fought in order to regain a single body and a single heart, a single mind. They fought, and eventually one of them lost, which did indeed spawn a X-Blade. That blast of energy took down at least seven of the surrounding worlds of the Keyblade Graveyard alone. However, this X-Blade lasted only for about an hour… The fact that the two halves of this Keyblade Wielder had been given different lives and different names and a different treatment had led to a severely twisted reunion. That person’s literal split personality did not surface until the high of being reunited went off after this one hour… After that, one can only guess what took place in his head. But, eventually, the X-Blade started corrupting more and more, until that person could no longer bear the two voices in his mind and tried making them shut up the only way he figured how: By murdering the people who had split them into two in the first place, the scientists and the training partner. After the fact it did not end, so inside the confused and extremely twisted mind of that person formed a single solution.

You trained under the Keyblade all know how horrifying a destroyed heart is. They turned the X-Blade on themselves, while the two people making them fought it out. It ended with one half destroyed, which in turn destroyed the other half of the heart. The X-Blade shattered, and the body became nothing other than an empty husk, waiting for something to return which did no longer exist. It simply started to rot away after years of lying there, since there was no mind or anything to control it. Unable to lift a finger, the one who had won the fight’s consciousness remained there until finally this last bit of the heart that stuck to the body was released.

And this case wasn’t the only one that ended like this. Every project, every single X-Blade recreation theory ended in catastrophe and murder. The unfortunate soul to gain the X-Blade would lose their mind and turn on their supposed abusers, but afterwards they either consciously or subconsciously realised they had killed family and friends, and thus ended it with a suicide. There are some cases where the person simply just burned up once despair set in, and the X-Blade shattered every single time.”

Ienzo grabbed a glass of water that Captain Harvey had brought in earlier. He took a rather short sip before he looked at Terra, and the Keyblade Wielder realised with a cold shudder running down his spine that there were even worse news yet to be had.

“… There is a theory that hasn’t been tested yet.” Ienzo muttered.

“… What?” Kairi’s voice was a slightly panicked whisper.

“There is a X-Blade theory that not a single person has yet attempted. No scientist up to this point has been mad enough to try this due to the longevity and delicate planning. It hasn’t even been confirmed that this would actually spawn a X-Blade, whereas the other ones clearly produced results, even if the overall outcome was unspeakably terrifying. But it’s… completely absurd…”

Much to everyone’s surprise it was the generally quiet Riku whose voice tore through the following silence with unknown force. “No matter how absurd, we have to know! We spent weeks chasing your friend and the amnesiac to no avail, and we only learned of abductions and murders and darkness spreading where it shouldn’t! This might be the line that connects all these loose dots! We’re Keyblade Wielders and you’re an apprentice of Ansem the Wise; we all have to see the fuller picture!”

Ienzo’s expression did not change at all, but there seemed to be a fire sparking in his eyes as he looked over to Terra. “I’ll tell you what I know then.” He was going to strike some kind of bargain out of this, but Terra felt no need to decline it just yet. “But, even a blind fool would understand that once you have learned of this, you two are going to take off as Master and Student to save the day. Well. Swear that you’ll take me and Kairi along with you.” It felt like ages ago that Isa made a similar bargain, and Ienzo almost laughed – had they only known what this would bring, maybe they would not have agreed on this.

Terra merely nodded curtly once Ienzo had made his offer. They had nothing else to lose, and Ienzo as well as Kairi would not drag them down anyway. This scientist seemed stronger than he looked, and Kairi was well-trained. Riku wanted to protest for a second, but then closed his mouth and nodded as well.

“We swear.”

“… Thank you. Even the ones creating this hypothesis stated that the outcome of this was largely dependent on several hypothetically existing things as well as a lot of luck – or misfortune. They also claimed that this would either fail completely or unleash power beyond the human capability of measurement.

It even begins with an unknown factor. Theoretically, there should be a family, a person of some sorts, a descendant of the original Wielder of the X-Blade. That person would not have a Keyblade, but give off the same vibe as one. It is unknown whether this person actually exists, and if they do where in the myriad of worlds they would exist in. Keep in mind rebirth is still a random factor, as you can be reborn anywhere.

The next thing needed would be an actual army of Keyblades, a certain number specialised in something. You need a power outburst of trained warriors using their weapons against each other, which makes structuring this whole thing extremely hard yet surprisingly simple. You need a number of groups, and each group has to be made of the same number of people as there are groups. Let’s say, 20 groups. Since there are 20 groups, you’d need 20 people in them. Keep in mind that it cannot be less than 100 people though; otherwise the power outburst would be too little. Just the thought of controlling that many people is preposterous.

You also have to make sure the hypothetical Wielder of the X-Blade has a connection to at least one person in these groups. That connection cannot be a simple one; it has to be the reverse attraction theory. Which means that there’s got to be one person who is the complete opposite of the supposed Wielder.

And this isn’t even the complicated part.

Now then, we have those 20 groups, and let’s say the descendent exists and is there, as well as has a polar opposite somewhere inside these groups whose life is irreversibly linked to theirs. Well, 20 groups á 20 people are all there, and fighting. It’s not supposed to be a faux fight though. Somehow you have to make these groups actually fight each other with no restraints. Somewhere among that you have to have the hypothetical Wielder, and that one polar opposite person. Now then, the next step would be easy: Make the supposed Wielder first extremely happy, and then crush them. Happiness is an emotion light gives you, whereas despair is when you let enough darkness in to choke you. Since that person is linked to the X-Blade, the weapon should appear if there is a Keyblade available. Now then, killing someone also kills their Keyblade, and how are you supposed to make someone extremely, extraordinarily happy only for them to drop out of all clouds? How are you going to make sure there’s a Keyblade available in the right moment?

Well, that’s where the reverse attraction theory comes into play. Reverse attraction means that the Keyblade from one polar opposite can be passed to the other polar opposite for a short time after one side loses their body and heart. It’s how twins generally fight and win said fight if one dies – they pass on the Keyblade to the other, making them double-wield for a set amount of time. Now what if one side has a Keyblade, but the other not? Generally, nothing of note happens. Some people inexplicably gain the power to summon a Keyblade, yes, but only for a limited time. If the person to suddenly and inexplicably gain the ability to wield would be linked to the X-Blade from the moment they were born, however… Who’s to say the Keyblade they gain could not be a completely restored X-Blade? Naturally, this entire theory is completely bogus when you think about it. The amount of planning would—“

“Have taken months, if not years. The one conducting this entire thing would have to make sure none of the Keyblade Masters around catch wind of this, because this kind of abducting and making people fight on the Keyblade Graveyard is illegal at best, and potentially everyone’s death at worst. But how do you make yourself disappear?” Terra was white as a sheet and had jumped to his feet the moment he had interrupted Ienzo’s monologue. His hands were curled into fists and he was shaking. “Well, the easiest way to make sure no one ever searches for you or assumes you are behind this, is by faking your own death… make sure the Master of the place sees you as you supposedly drift away into the dark, fatally wounded…” Kairi made a squeaking sound of horror as Terra continued, and Riku took a step backwards in terror. “… maybe even take out the students and such, and the Master you trained under to make sure no one ever figures out it’s you, because you clearly could not have survived slipping into the dark wounded like that… …This is bad. Extremely bad. Worst case scenario. Riku, Kairi. Ienzo. We gotta get going. At once. To the Keyblade Graveyard. Something terrible is about to transpire, and I know just who’s behind all of that.”

Wordless terror and fear hung in the air as they went through a portal with Terra. They were not around to notice how the tremors outside stopped, how the dark clouds parted for the first time since they had appeared. After the Heartless had vanished and the high had washed off… Through his veil of exhaustion, Even noticed that Ienzo was missing.

 -

_Nobodies._

_It was the term they were collectively referred to, and it was only about now that Aqua realised that she had never really been anyone to begin with. True, she had her personality and the memories attached to these fake memories, but she had never really been someone. She had been an orphan back then, the discarded child with the cursed mark of the Keyblade. Before anyone in her unknown home had realised this child had the mark, she’d been thrown away like useless trash. A man in the woods had taken her in, the only Keyblade Wielder in this place that had ever lived past the age of ten. Aqua had been seven when this man died, and after that the hunt began. Someone had seen her use the cursed weapon, and people now wanted her dead. She was certain she was going to be just another nameless number next to countless that had been slaughtered in her homeworld – she had never been taught how to utilise her curse to flee the world she had been born in. Just as she thought it was going to be her last night alive, someone came and rescued her. He’d been much older than the man who had first taken care of her, but she took the hand he had offered her that moment. She took it blindly, wanting nothing more than to simply escape that loneliness and terror of being hunted._

_He’d taken her to a place where she learned that she was not cursed, but gifted. There were other children more or less her age who had been given a Keyblade as well, and Aqua, aside from her first shyness, quickly proved to be a prodigy. Everyone was amazed by her progress, and she was especially proud since she was the only student the man who had saved her had ever taken in. Even the other three Masters seemed surprised by that, which made her even more proud of herself. She was special, she believed, and everyone believed the same._

_The illusion lasted a year, maybe three at most. And it was shattered all too cruelly. The other children except for Terra would not make it through that day. The Master of her Master would not make it, and neither would the one woman who had trained beside Master Eraqus and her Master. Twenty children, just slain, and her Master had been the one to take their lives. Her Master himself would not make it through that day either; and she clung to Master Eraqus along with Terra as they watched the remains of their peaceful lives burn away._

_Aqua then began training to be a Master herself, even though the very thought made her want to cry. She cried a lot during that time, but it had always been Terra to catch her. Eventually the tears stopped, and Aqua was alone again, more or less. They were at an age where Master Eraqus considered it awkward for a girl and a boy to sleep in the same room, and Aqua felt like she lost a limb that day. During the day it was less apparent because she still spent most of her time with Terra, but at night she felt the phantom pain of losing everything, over and over again._

_Ventus and the children were a welcome addition to the empty halls, they filled them with life. But Ventus vanished, and Aqua desperately tried to get back the person she had sworn to keep safe from further harm. When she returned from her fruitless search crestfallen, she realised that she had lost Sora as well. In her feverish attempts to regain what she had lost, she just lost another thing. Her heart which had been shattered countless times, and now it was gone for good._

_The dull throb where it used to be was a cruel joke, she supposed and stared ahead._

_Not a single Nobody had talked for a while. It was a silent procession as they entered the wastelands that Aqua had been called to. Every fibre of her being knew that this was the place she was needed at, that this would be the fulfilment of her destiny. Even a nobody of a Nobody like Aqua could and would play the part they were needed for, and Aqua was burning with a certain desire of finally casting away that mantle that had been placed on her the moment she had been born._

_She was ready for this, and she was sick of the constant repeat of the same loss over and over. This was going to end here, and if it cost her the only life she had to spare._

_And while she was brimming with a determination she had never known before, another Nobody was simply steaming in rage and blind hatred that he was unaware that he could even feel._

_Zack and Aqua had their parts to fill, and they were both going to do it._

 -

Following the small chance of finding something that would finally properly spark inside his partially empty memory, Axel dragged Isa along through world after world. The time of these worlds was almost always exactly the same, so there was no natural exhaustion from differing times holding them back. They flew through the worlds and simply stopped when they needed actual rest. The further they went, the more dead the worlds became. Had the first one simply been without any fauna, the flora was now dying out as well. The worlds were empty, and got even emptier the more they went on.

Grassy plains became less lush and green, and eventually gave way to scorched earth and stone. Mountain ranges and snow filled their visions, and stale air their lungs as they continued ever onwards. Giant glittering lakes gave way to small dry ponds and salty remains of a lake, until there was no water at all (even though one of these worlds had a river in the sky which resulted in a constant drizzle going down on them).

At some point they couldn’t stand the empty silence anymore and just started talking. It wasn’t particularly interesting, they were just upholding casual small talk about surroundings and the weather. They just didn’t want it to be quiet again. Isa knew that they had to find this place, and soon, or they would lose their mind. It was that very moment that Axel started talking about things he started remembering the closer they got to their goal. The more Axel said, the more a certain kind of dread dug its claws deeper and deeper into Isa’s heart. He was afraid, afraid that Axel would leave once he remembered everything. As much as Isa hated to be that kind of person, he had no control over this irrational fear.

“Radiant Garden. I’ve definitely been in Radiant Garden before I lost my memory. But I… I think I lost something else there. No, not my memory, Isa… something else… but…”

Something about this comment made something deep within Isa’s subconscious stir, but this almost careless comment was too weird to put a finger on what exactly it had caused to react. Isa simply pushed the thought back to where it had come from – the darkest corner of his mind.

“… Memory’s Anthem. That’s what my Keyblade is called. How… beautifully ironic.”

Maybe this was why he lost his memory. It seemed absurd, but since Keyblades denied all logic anyway, why shouldn’t a Keyblade named ‘Memory’s Anthem’ take away its owners memories in a situation of danger and trauma?

“They called me 8-1 there. Ringleader. That was my title. But what’s the meaning of this? What’s a Ring, and what is the point of leading one? I can’t remember.”

Fragments and mangled pieces of memories that did not make sense the slightest returned to Axel. Neither he nor Isa were able to figure out what they meant, and the more worlds they passed the more the headaches and the dull heartache confused the redhead. He still did not recall his own name, but he started remembering the names of other people. At least 20 of them, but every single name had one of three statements attached to them: Dead, alive. Apparently he had staged some kind of jailbreak from the Graveyard place, and it had ended in utter and complete failure as the scars on his jaw told him. Those Link Fate Wounds were the only way of telling who was still alive, and Axel came to the conclusion that other than him only three members of his Ring had made it.

He had apparently led these people and attempted to get them out of there for some reason or another, and it had ended in utter and complete failure, which then resulted in the deaths of several people. Those that had survived drifted off into the Lanes Between, and Axel did as well. He must’ve lost his memory back then.

Slowly but steadily the puzzle started to fit together – and after that realisation only small bits of information came back to him, until they stopped altogether. He became even more grim and uncertain, until it rubbed off on Isa.

What on earth would they find at their destination…? It certainly sounded less like a weird place to hang anymore, but rather something dangerous to even set foot into. Graveyard…

A clearly trained warrior without any memories of his own who had apparently narrowly escaped death with a handful of his comrades, only to be separated… No, the more Isa thought about it, the less pleasant it became to think about. Something was sounding his alarm, and violently so.

Yet, against his common sense, he merely fastened his grip on Axel’s hand as they long, barren stretch of rocks and sand filled their vision.

Between the rocks Keyblades stuck out of the dead ground, as if they were some kind of vegetation. Power and life had long since left them, and they were useless by now.

Keyblades, a massive amount of ancient Keyblades, nothing more than lifeless tools. Every single one looked different than the other.

A grim reminder of what had happened in the past. A silent testament to the horrifying force that had torn the world apart until it was completely swallowed by darkness.

Before them lay the Keyblade Graveyard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, most of it will be explained next chapter. The paragraph about Aqua used to be about something else entirely, but I figured this fit much better and would make something in either the next or the chapter after easier to understand.  
> As for Ienzo's aforementioned "long-ass rant", well... I significantly changed things to make it a little easier. It used to be a horribly complicated thing, and I spent roughly a day brooding over my old notes and the old chapter to figure out how to make this less a clear "it was 4am and I was on a sugar rush"-y.  
> I hope that worked out as I hoped it would ;v;
> 
> Two chapters to do, and then it's back to my notes entirely, because the last chapter is what I lost when my old laptop kicked the bucket. Hoo.


	11. A Line in the Sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to seriously apologise for this hell of a delay, I just completely lost my writing muse for everything and slipped into one hellish writer's block along with irl trouble and an addiction to Final Fantasy XIV, oops...... I think the point where I stopped and slipped into block hell shows in this chapter, and I wholeheartedly apologise for it, I'm just glad I finished this almost 12k words beast before my sister's birthday next month, lmao....

“Memory’s Anthem” – A Keyblade. My Keyblade to be exact. Just like almost every single one in recent history it is one of light. I can’t remember what the Keychain is supposed to be, but I remember that the Keyblade itself looks this way to remind me of something. Kind of hilarious that I can’t remember what exactly it was that it was supposed to never make me forget. Maybe some kind of oath or something. It would certainly explain the fire theme that way – an oath that never burns out, never goes out. I must’ve really put all my heart into whatever it was that I swore. What really got my mind running though… did the Keyblade lock away my memories all by itself? Did my heart want to forget something, and the tool forged from my heart thus fulfilled that wish? My heart knows, and so does the Keyblade, but my head remains empty. What was it that I wanted this Keyblade to sing of, and why did it silence the song when it did? The Keyblade gives no answer…

-

“Keyblade Graveyard” – Keys and Blades and Keyblades as far as the eye can see. Jutting out between sharp rocks and dead sand, and lying around more or less broken and rusty, they serve as a reminder of what the people in the past had done wrong. They had waged war over the light (and darkness or the lack thereof) within Kingdom Hearts, effectively shattering the X-Blade at the peak of the war and causing Kingdom Hearts to disappear. Ever since there has been imbalance, but there is no way to restore Kingdom Hearts without the X-Blade. What I remember about this place is that I have apparently lived here for several years, and I was not on my own. We were prisoners among the history this place holds. What made the peace of the past instable enough to cause such a war to happen? Why were they allowed to fight like that, and why did they in the first place? Thousands of people with their artificial copies of the X-Blade called Keyblade fought here, battled for what they believed to be the ultimate prize. Their names have long since been forgotten, and their fight plunged the world into despair and darkness. But the reason for their fight vanished with them, and the only testament to them ever having existed among the dust and darkness of this place sticks out between the rocks… They stand in the dry sand and dead earth, withstanding whirlwinds until they vanish in the sandy sweeps and gusts… as they have for hundreds and thousands and millions of years by now.

-

“Ring 8” – Part of… the Keyblade Army, I suppose? An army here at the Keyblade Graveyard? Yes. We were… 13, myself included. At least we were before I tried to lead us away from this place. Now we are four, if I am to believe the Link Fate Wounds. Somewhere in the back of my mind I recall that the members of Ring 8 that yet live are called Roxas, Xion, and Sora. The others that had survived the escape? Something tells me that they were killed by none other than Vanitas…

-

“Vanitas” – Now I remember. He, too, was a Ringleader. And not a particularly friendly one. He was also kind of small compared to me… Maybe a teenager? Then again, I also recall him having been here for longer than me… Nothing really makes sense anymore…

-

“Isa” – I dare say he’s the only thing keeping me sane right now. He’s my anchor, who keeps me from floating off with the fragments of memories that keep slipping in and out of my mind. He’s the only person I can trust, and I know I can trust him blindly… He’s the person I care about more than anyone else. Everyone else can take care of themselves just fine, and I know he could too if I left him on his own… but he’s too dear to me to let something happen to him that leaves him dead on the ground in this place like so many before him. I can’t let that happen to him, not at all. I need him. I love him.

* * *

 

Keyblades had always been a vital part of the world ever since the very same weapon tore it apart. During the few years before the Keyblade War, Keyblades had been gifted with the elements themselves. Some Keyblades were as sturdy as the element of earth itself, while some others whirred with the concept of belief, a strange element that few knew about and even fewer controlled. A Keyblade could only be one element, but the elements came in many different flavours – but they were all even in power. A Keyblade brimming over with the destructive power of shadows was no stronger than the fragile might of glass. After the Keyblade War had taken place, the elements withdrew from the weapons they had once empowered. The former gift was soon to be known as a curse, and many children unfortunate enough to be born with the power to wield met an early end in many worlds.

After the Keyblade War and after the first withdrawal of elemental power, Keyblades had to substitute the loss of might. The Keyblades before and during the War had merely been a mirror of their Wielder’s hearts. After the War, Keyblades became a literal part of their Wielder’s hearts. They were only as powerful as the heart of the one who carried them, and only the strongest were capable of even summoning one. There were cases of spontaneously born Wielders who lacked the ability to summon. During the War, many a Wielder had laid down their weapon – this was now impossible, as the person would toss away parts of their heart.

The worlds sensed the potential for disaster, and therefore quelled the thirst of knowledge within the hearts that were born with the ability to wield. Often Keyblade Wielders were calm and collected and rarely left their homes unless they were required somewhere else. It was an attempt to lay the darkness (or the light) within one’s heart as low as possible in order to prevent disaster.

But yet darkness lingered, and light would not be dimmed that easily. Thanks to the disappearance of Kingdom Hearts it was nigh impossible to make sure someone was completely aligned with one or the other main element. Therefore the first generation of Keyblade Masters of the Land of Departure decided that only the purest of heart were to remain within the walls of their castle. Only those with light in almost all of their actions and thoughts were to be named Keyblade Master of the Land of Departure.

How many worlds had given this land void of people of its own a Keyblade Master? Countless, he presumed and looked across the plain. There were too many Masters to count them, their names etched somewhere into a certain room that only a few select people had access to. Within this room were stories of people long dead, sometimes of worlds long since vanished, maybe even human or humanoid races that no longer existed. Every single name inside this room told a story of times long since forgotten – Keyblade Masters of Light, guardians.

But, and that nobody of the ancient times after the War had foreseen, the withdrawal of the minor elements caused a significant decrease in Keyblades. The merciless hunt for people with the Blade in some worlds put a substantial dent in the already small number of Wielders. After some time even the other elements died out, until only three were left for a long time. The ones of light were plentiful, but were considered weaker than those of heart and darkness.

Keyblade Wielders with a blade of darkness avoided the Realm of Light and often withdrew into the darkest and loneliest corners of the Dark Realm. Wherever these people ended up, they either went mad or died after a long time. Some however left their dark corners and went back into the light, where they were often welcomed almost surprisingly warmly. Their power was a welcome addition to the plentiful light blades and the extremely rare ones of light.

But eventually those of light became fewer and fewer, until the very last one died out in Radiant Garden in a blinding burst of power. The sins of the past, the sins of the Keyblade War, eventually caught up to one person, and they decided to repay the world for letting them live with putting a barrier around it. In this radiant passion, the world got its new name. Before that it had just been the Gardens, a world known for its flowers. But after this sacrifice the world had become radiant, the rays often blinding Keyblade Wielders who passed it by too closely with their armours.

On top of the heart of this selfless sacrifice stood a castle now. There were many myths about the castle itself, but only the current ruler usually knew about what was really kept underneath the castle. Right on top of the barrier’s seal – the last Keyblade of Heart – was a small garden. In the middle of said garden was a tree from the Land of Departure, a gift to the woman after she had gained the title of Master. The barrier was protected by an Undying, a mere plant that represented the barrier itself, and only the current ruler knew how to access the place underneath the roots.

Or so they all thought.

The reason an unusual amount of darkness had found its way into Radiant Garden? Simple. Someone had found their way beneath the roots and pulled out the Keyblade, effectively removing a barrier that had withstood even the deep dark itself.

Naturally the Keyblade itself was useless now – its Wielder was long dead, and therefore the key itself was dead as well. It was not a very sturdy Keyblade either, as its Wielder had been more magically inclined. The thin and long Keyblade looked almost pathetically fragile and weak in one of his hands, while his own Keyblade looked bulky and sturdy compared to this flowery dead toy. He let out a laugh and tossed it over his shoulder.

The last Keyblade of Heart clattered on the sandy stone behind him, while one of the few Keyblades of Darkness brushed said ground. A Keyblade cloaked in dark was something that a small amount of people managed to properly control. It was often considered a wildcard, as many of its Wielders simply went mad after a time – even more so when the Wielder was born in the Realm of Light. Indeed, there were many records of people who had gained a Keyblade from the Realm opposite of the one of their birth, and it was almost hilarious how easily so many of them broke under that weight.

It had only made him even more curious about the nature of the Keyblade, and at some point he had stumbled upon a copy of the very book that Ienzo had read prior to Terra and Riku arriving in the library. Theories of intelligent men and women, and all of them had ended in failure. They had all strived for the path to the one supposed cure for all the worlds’ issues, the apparent purest of all lights.

But all they had wrought was destruction, in most cases their own deaths. What all of them did not know, the one theory they had all called impossible to pull off was going to prove the way to gain the X-Blade; he was going to make sure of that.

He smiled. Years of planning and delicate placement of the players, but now the pieces were starting to come together at a rapid rate. The success in the assembling of the players and their predicted arrival and role was outstanding, and from the top of the cliff he could finally hear the first yells.

The supposed rebellion had managed to sow seeds of uncertainty among all of these young people, and it was the best way to provoke an actual fight. They were actually fighting for real, exactly like it was necessary.

“Finally.”

Yes, today was the day that he, Xehanort, proved all of these fools of the part wrong.

 -

What was the difference between a war and a rebellion? Both fought for something, or in some cases someone. Both brought often pointless bloodshed, and the victor of either would be unusually cruel to the defeated. So what was the difference between this rebellion and the ancient Keyblade War? Essentially there was none – both were fought with Keyblades, mostly at least, and both had Kingdom Hearts as either obvious or less obvious reason behind the fight.

Kingdom Hearts… was this supposed heart of all worlds really worth all that blood? It had turned this land into a wasteland and cost many people their lives. And even after it vanished, the problems relating to it did not cease at all. In reality, the issues increased after Kingdom Hearts had disappeared. With no place to return to, hearts of all kinds tried to return whence they came after the death of the body. Without finding their way back to the place they were born from, they simply scattered after a while and found their way into new bodies. It was an endless cycle of hearts being reborn, up to the point they simply broke entirely and faded into nothingness, giving birth to pureblooded Heartless in the Realm of Darkness.

The Realm of Darkness knew how to fight these, to stem the flood, but many of them escaped into the Realm of Light regardless, where they had once been born, and wrought chaos upon the worlds within the glittering but dark skies. Heartless in a world meant death, which meant even more hearts scattering. It was a cycle that inevitably lead to doom, and with the Realm of Light purged of all life, an endless force of Heartless would return to the Realm of Darkness to vanquish what little of population there was. In a hopeless attempt to counteract this, the worlds granted the hearts of Keyblade Wielders immunity to this, as Keyblade Wielders were the only ones capable of effectively destroying Heartless permanently.

What a constant cycle of rebirth meant for the minds of the Keyblade Wielders, nobody knew. They always supposedly looked similar to their earlier counterparts in some way or another, and they mostly had the same abilities. If one was a born spellcaster, a born spellcaster they would remain. Siblings would always be born as siblings, and even bonds like friendship carried over – if the other part of the bond was even born in the same world. Siblings stayed together, as did parent and child, but friends or lovers often got torn apart by being born in different worlds. They would try to follow the bond, the subconscious call of their heart, yes, but many of them did not meet again for several cycles of rebirth.

There were also instances where the roles were switched around.

At the edge of the world stood a young and nervous scientist, a calm and collected Keyblade Master, and two children with the ability to wield. Once upon a time, they had been two Keyblade Masters, their apprentice, and an old and wise man who led them there.

Had one asked what Terra thought about this, he would have just waved his hand around and grunted before declaring all of this bogus. What he did know, however, was the fact that this was almost suicidal. Yet he felt like he belonged here, somehow. He had not been this certain of something ever since Ventus had gone missing without a trace. Not since Sora had vanished somewhere out there, not since Aqua had disappeared without a single clue to her whereabouts. The longer he thought about it, the more he started to realise that he had not been this certain of something ever since the day he’d watched almost all of the people he’d known in his life be murdered in front of his eyes.

His grip on the Keyblade tightened for a moment. This weapon was a curse, he’d believed, but right now it felt more like an old friend welcoming him back home.

Terra felt like he had seen this place before, his constantly reborn heart silently recalling something that had once happened in a place similar to the Keyblade Graveyard. Terra however was unable to put a finger on why this place seemed so familiar. Something about this whole situation just gave him the unshaking feeling that he had seen this exact situation before. Well, maybe not this exact situation, but something vastly similar.

Once upon a time he’d stood here, his gaze uncertain as he stood among adults. The kid, the earliest instance of Terra’s heart and Keyblade, had cowered between his teachers and the scholar. Now it was Terra who towered all of them, with the formerly confident scholar looking around like he had just seen a ghost.

If any of them had known about this, they would have turned on the heel and left. Riku and Kairi might have even lost their minds entirely, as they were already overwhelmed somehow.

They had all expected this world to be quiet and keeping its vigil, with the fighting a day or two away. But instead they heard the sounds of fighting not too far away, and the dust was moving despite the wind resting for once. Voices sometimes left the undefined noise ahead of them; the yells and shouts of children and young adults piercing the deafening dread in their hearts.

Their hopes of preventing this from happening were shattered before they had even taken a step in this world.

“… No… no this…. This is all… wrong…” Ienzo’s voice was a terrified choke, and Terra shivered. He knew that Ienzo was rather confident whenever he spoke, so this was… unusual, to say the least.

Riku simply stared ahead, his eyes narrowed slightly. Terra was busy looking at Ienzo, and Kairi simply looked around. What Riku was trying to focus on was something ahead, though. There was a black mass moving, which clearly were Heartless. However, in front of these Heartless…

“Wait. Master Terra, look. Over there.” He pointed at the strange scene that took place in front of them, and after a moment of silence, Terra simply let out a dry laugh. Whatever this was supposed to be, fate sure was having its fun with him today. Moving towards them was a pair of people most of them knew.

Both of them looked equally tired, but they still ran regardless. One tried firing a Fira into the general bulk of Heartless trailing them, but it was painfully obvious that this guy needed to catch his breath more than anything else. The moment Terra’s group moved to their aid was the moment that one of them lost his scarf, while the other’s ponytail simply opened and made his long blue hair fly out behind him.

“Now that’s a pleasant surprise.” Terra said as he rushed into the mass of Heartless ahead of him, and he could have sworn he’d heard Isa simply breathe out a “Less talking, more fighting” before the blue-haired stopped dead and tried to catch his breath.

Between Terra’s brutal swipes, Kairi’s and Ienzo’s magic and Riku’s nimble mastery of both, the Heartless were reduced within a few minutes. The surviving ones simply scampered off carelessly, as if no fight had ever taken place. As they were catching their breath, Terra started thinking.

He missed home, he realised suddenly. But not the home he’d had in the last few years. What he missed were the times when he was a child, with Master Eraqus and his master supervising him and the other children. He missed those times of when they were simply kids and guardians, with almost no care in the world other than the training sessions. Even after Master Xehanort had arrived and brought this strange girl named Aqua, the world was perfect. He was one of the few that were actually in training to be Keyblade Master among the kids, and Aqua was the naturally gifted student of the other Master. He never really thought about showing off back then – all he really wanted was that everything would continue being as fun as it was. They all had no idea what having a Keyblade meant, that it was blessing and curse all the same. They all considered a blessing and nothing more, a blessing they could call forth and make materialise in their hands at any time. They were children, maybe teenagers, but they were all learning.

Or were supposed to be.

At least until the day that they were reminded of how much a curse the Keyblade could be. Was the Land of Departure usually bathed in a gentle and warm light, this day had been different from the very start. The wind had been cold, and as soon as the sun reached its highest point, the tragedy had begun. Had the day started out with children and their Masters cheerfully waking up; the day ended with three people clinging to each other and staring into the night sky in terror while flames consumed what was left of the formerly peaceful training grounds. After a while, they swallowed this cruel twist of fate, and returned to what two students and their teacher were supposed to do – studying, and teaching.

Out of thirty, only three had survived. Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua.

It was as if the cheer had been violently ejected from their bodies, and the children were suddenly only students. Master Eraqus still was gentle and kind, but there was a certain jaded edge to his words, and Terra and Aqua were very well aware of this. They had been raised like proper Keyblade Masters, yes, but they had also been children that never understood the horrors that had unfolded before their very eyes.

And now it was revealed that all of this had just been staged. That over twenty children had been sacrificed just for the… what, exactly?

For a lack of better words, Terra shook his head and decided that Master Xehanort was a genius. An insane one, but still a genius.

By the time he stopped thinking, Ienzo and Kairi declared that they wanted to go on on their own. Two mages were less likely to be attacked than five Keyblade Wielders, a mage, and some guy with a claymore. Mostly because too many Keyblades at once attracted danger and trouble like magnets would each other.

After watching them for a while, Terra finally decided to look at his former nemesis and the poor sod without memories – and he realised at once that Ienzo might have just taken off to avoid a confrontation with his fellow student of Ansem the Wise. Isa seemed like a completely new person, as he stood straight for once and his eyes seemed to burn with an unknown determination.

“… Thanks. We owe you.” Even Isa’s voice seemed different somehow. There was less of a sad edge to it, and with this brutally honest look of gratefulness on his face, it was easy to assume Isa had always been like that under his thick layer of bitterness. “We tried fighting ‘em, but they just kept coming. They wouldn’t stop until we had an entire mob at our heels.”

The redhead stopped fiddling with his clothes and looked up. “The hell brings you guys here, though? We thought we’d gotten rid of you by now.”

“Well, you have. We were ready to return home with the business unfinished, until certain circumstances prompted us to come here. And why are you two here of all places?”

“Oh, that’s easy, Mister Master. I guess I should tell your Master that he was right about me being dangerous somehow. Just that none of you even had an inkling what my purpose was.” Axel’s snide words made the blood in Terra’s veins turn to ice – he still had Ienzo’s words ringing in his ears. Axel shrugged. “I just so happen to have remembered that I was part of something called ‘Keyblade Army’. Actually, I’m the supposed leader of the group called Ring 8, out of 13 total. And I guess that there were 13 in my Ring, myself included. Before I lost my memory I tried getting all of us out of here, and basically caused the death of almost all of them, sans four kids and myself. We all kinda drifted apart, and I woke up in Radiant Garden, and you all know the rest of that story.”

“Which means…”

“Nah. Forget it. I’m not your enemy. Got that memorised?”

Riku breathed in as if he was trying to protest, but Terra cut him off by nodding quickly. Both Isa and Axel relaxed at once, the immediate danger of being killed by the Keyblade Wielders now out of the way. Had they actually feared that Terra and Riku might still kill them to finish their quest? Terra almost laughed out loud when he pondered on that for a moment – he’d just been blindly following the order that Eraqus and Ansem had given him. He’d almost forgotten that the people he’d been after were human beings, with equally human feelings.

Isa played around with his hair a bit, before pulling another hairband out of his pocket and tying the hair back together into his usual ponytail. Terra could’ve sworn the blue-haired whispered something to the redhead next to him in that moment, but neither of the men opposite him and his apprentice did anything out of the ordinary after Isa finished tying up his hair again. Axel then narrowed his eyes and cocked his head a little.

“Wait, hold on. Do you two know what’s going on here?”

They started walking towards the actual fight while Terra and Riku explained the situation as well as they could. The further they got, the grimmer Axel’s expression became. Once they were finished, the redhead simply looked ahead, an unspoken realisation written on his face.

 

What exactly had possessed them to climb exactly this rock was beyond them. It was quite elevated compared to the plain that the Keyblade Army was fighting on, which gave Ienzo and Kairi quite the advantage – they were spellcasters, which meant that they were not supposed to enter the fray at all, but instead quietly snipe opponents from as far away as possible. This one place seemed ideal for that, but once they’d reached the top, Kairi had pointed out that there was a Keyblade lying on here.

There had been countless Keyblades on their way here, and even more that they had run past while trying to avoid another bulk of Heartless. It had taken them an hour to get here, and now there was a single Keyblade on the ground? It seemed absurd for it to be this far out of the place, but once Ienzo had walked over to it, he’d felt a familiar aura around it.

It was the Keyblade that had protected the barrier around Radiant Garden.

“… Ienzo?”

He simply picked the Keyblade up – it was almost broken in half, and his hands were shaking as he gently lifted it.

“He’ll pay for this.”

 -

The centre of the fight was hectic, chaotic. Everyone had already one or more injuries to speak of, and a few of the weapons of the members of Ring 0 had already broken against the sheer force of a Keyblade. Spells were flung around, Keyblades sometimes followed right after, and the violent training was showing off by now. Compared to the other Rings, the members of Ring 0 were hopelessly outmatched, even though every Ring was fighting against almost every other Ring. Violence was answered with violence – just like they’d been taught.

Had Vanitas not been beaten around and abused up to the point where something in his head simply accepted violence as a way to get what he wanted, he’d have been terrified of a fight this large-scale. But since almost all of these moves had been used against him at least once, he simply weaved through the crowds, avoiding to attack unless absolutely necessary. He’d been assigned to distract people while the members of Ring 0 snaked in to help anyone injured; many of the members of the other Rings gladly stopped trading blows to attempt to hurt Right Hand.

They were all prisoners led to this fight, but none of them really realised that all of this was properly set up. They’d been captured for the sole purpose of creating a weapon by unleashing enough power to make entire worlds vanish, and had Vanitas known about this, he would have probably thrown up. He was already searing with disgust and fury at this point, but he was more intent on making sure nobody overdid it.

Yes, he knew what the purpose of all this was. He’d known the barebones version of the purpose of all of this – he knew nothing about the execution, or why Xehanort needed that many Keyblade Wielders in one place. But he was aware that at the end of this path was the X-Blade, the fabled weapon that would unlock the way to Kingdom Hearts and therefore grant its owner the ability to rewrite history itself. He’d be lying if Vanitas said he wasn’t at least a little bit curious about what exactly ‘rewriting history’ meant, but he knew better than to sacrifice over a hundred people for it. There had to be easier ways to break the seal on the elements, and easier ways to unleash the power of Kingdom Hearts to stop the eventual corrosion of the worlds.

There had to be a different way other than essentially recreating the Keyblade War.

All things would happen in time, his father had always said, and Vanitas believed that one day the worlds would find a way to break the seal on the elements and find a way to make Kingdom Hearts return. If only Keyblade Wielders did not interfere with the natural flow at any given opportunity. Countless people had lost their lives in an attempt to recover the X-Blade from the abyss it had vanished into. He shuddered – just like Terra before him, Vanitas had been in this very place and thought about the very same thing once in a past life. Actually, Ienzo had already told the story of what had happened to Vanitas back then: A young man, who willingly let his heart be split in two in order to gain the X-Blade again.

After he’d shattered his own heart, it had taken several cycles of rebirth for the pieces to come back together. The heart itself mended as it and the pieces were passed on and on until they found their way back to another. This was the reason Vanitas was so incredibly sturdy; his ability to withstand even the worst of abuse with nary a scratch to his body was thanks to the fact that he’d already been broken beyond the point of mending but still managed to eventually come back out in one piece. This incarnation was the first that had the recompleted heart, and it was almost hilarious to think that this incarnation would effectively be the last, as time and therefore natural death became obsolete to him through abuse and the forced stop of his internal clock.

To be honest, if he’d known any of this, Vanitas simply wouldn’t have cared. Fate had always done its way with him, so he most likely suspected that he was either extremely unlucky or somehow branded for hardship. The only thing he actually cared about was Ventus. And said Ventus had gone missing among the crowd.

Vanitas knew that his brother had been trained to be as unnoticeable as possible, but this was quickly becoming ridiculous. Where in the seven hells was that young man?

He parried a rather clumsy attack of someone from Ring 2 and took a look around. For some reason he’d moved out of the crowd.

Something was happening, and he’d moved subconsciously. That meant it could not be pleasant at all.

How unpleasant it actually was, Vanitas realised a moment later as he raised his Keyblade to deflect what he assumed to be a burst of light magic. As it turned out it was not light magic at all, but rather a gravity-based bullet. The people around him stopped, and the one member of Ring 0 among them froze in sheer panic before telling the other people to move out of the way.

Gravity-based bullets. Vanitas held back a groan and raised his head to look at who was standing there.

He hated this grin more than anything else, and the fact that these eyes had been brown the last time he’d seen the man was even more concerning. Now they were as yellow as his own, and Vanitas simply sighed and shook his head.

“Oh boy. Really? That’s how far you’ll go to dispose of a failure like me? When there’s an entire pool of much more successful people to pick from right before your eyes? I never understood you, Left Hand, but shit’s ridiculous by now.”

Left Hand simply laughed – a sound Vanitas loathed – and shrugged right back. “Not your business, kiddo.”

“Not my business? Please, Braig. It’s my business because it’s me you want to pelt with bullets. Preferably shoot a few holes into me. Were you ordered to pick out Right Hand specifically, or do you hold some kinda grudge against me?” Vanitas waited a few seconds for Braig to answer, but the answer never came. Which was odd, considering how much Braig liked to hear himself talk. Which meant that he’d indeed been ordered to take Vanitas out. “Absolutely fantastic. Since when were you the mindless chess piece? I thought that was my position. What will you even gain from following that old fart as blindly as you do? There’s easier ways to get one of these babies, y’know.”

Vanitas waved his Keyblade around with a smirk, and he could hear the sounds of guns clicking. Braig did raise the guns a moment after, and Vanitas let out a laugh.

“Well, alright. This is the first time you don’t talk me to death. Kinda pleasant, could we continue that way? Or, wait, better idea, Braig. How about I shut you up for real this time?”

“Don’t take more than you can chew, brat.”

“Brat? Creative. Pick fun at the guy who doesn’t age, mostly thanks to you helping out. This’ll be an interesting little brawl, to say the least.”

“Well, you know the rules, then.”

“Right, right. No rules until one of us drops dead.”

“Exactly. Get ready, brat.”

“Have at you, old fart.”

 -

Heartless after Heartless streamed out and around them. If there was one upside to being a Nobody, it was that the Heartless ignored Nobodies. Aqua and most of her fellow Nobodies however felt like back when they lost their hearts. There were too many Heartless to count them, a strange black mass that simply moved around them. They still had to fight some of these as some turned to Sora, but there was no Heartless going to get this one specific child today.

Sora had told them all about this place, and everything he knew about the Keyblade Army. The way they had been trained and often raised here, the way his Ringleader had finally been unable to take it any longer. Aqua’s grip on her Keyblade tightened – all this time she’d spent mulling over her lost heart, Sora had lived through all of this. It made her blood boil. Nobodies had no right to exist, but compared to what the people of the Keyblade Army had endured here, the constant state of not being was small in comparison.

At some point their luck turned, and the Heartless started fighting back as the Nobodies were now considered a threat thanks to defending Sora. Against such a mass of Heartless the Nobodies stood little to no chance, and Aqua watched helplessly as a woman she’d befriended over the past years simply burst into darkness and leaves. She’d been from a world she’d described as being essentially a big forest, and therefore she had been given the power of… whatever leaves signified. She had been a healer, after all, and a good friend.

What a cruel way to go. Once more mulling, Aqua simply shot a Blizzaga into the mass of Heartless and watched them scatter.

She wanted to find Ventus – she just knew he was here – and then wanted to go home. Finding Ventus would less of a hassle than what would come after. Going home…

All Nobodies probably wanted to go home at this point, but in a situation like this, the only possible outcome was obvious, and they were all slightly terrified of that. The only one who simply stopped to even pretend to feel at this point was madly mowing through the Heartless for a while, until finally he was overwhelmed and buried underneath the dark creatures. Even before they completely got him, he managed to take down several, until finally his sight started to blur and everything went out in a black and yellow and red smear.

The Nobody called Zack Fair vanished with a gurgling yell, and like with every Nobody before and after him, there was nothing left of him. The only thing that suggested he had been there at all was the dent in the number of Heartless, and the strange sullen feeling that overcame Aqua for a moment. She’d always liked Zack, and for a moment she wished he’d not been ahead of her like that. Maybe she could have helped him. But it was too late to do anything, and she certainly did not have the time or the heart to properly grieve for him. With a gentle whisper she put up a barrier around her and then proceeded to blast said barrier into hundreds and thousands of pieces, which went flying to pierce through the Heartless around her.

The number of both Heartless and Nobodies was steadily decreasing, until suddenly the Heartless ceased all movement and looked around. Many of them were attacked and destroyed, but after that moment passed, there was a sudden burst of flames, which took down almost all of them. The leftover Heartless fled, and the Nobodies stood there, bewildered.

It took Aqua a few seconds to find whoever had helped them, and it was not even remotely whom she had expected.

“Yikes. Remind me to never use Flare again. … Oh, would you look at that. Nobodies. Now he really did it, eh.”

Their unknown ally turned out to be a lanky young man with red hair and a strangely relaxed face. Aqua turned as red as his hair and muttered some insult she’d picked up from the other Nobodies, and all of a sudden their saviour’s posture changed.

His grim expression turned to a blinding smile, and as he beamed at her and her small group Aqua realised that he kind of looked like a candle. Considering he’d just incinerated a couple hundred Heartless, maybe calling him a flamethrower would have been a better idea.

“Oi. Can’t believe that I save someone’s life, and the first thing they do is insult me. Nice to meetcha too, Miss Nobody.” Redhead stretched and laughed an almost carefree laugh. “Either way, if even the Nobodies washed up here, there’s one hell of a trouble brewin’ up. … So, you guys ever make it up this ledge or do you want me to help you lot?”

“Fuck off. Stop bossing us around just ‘cause you remembered shit about this place while we went in blind.”

“No, thank you very much. I may be an apprentice, but I can do this on my own.”

“All three of you, stop at once or I’ll ram my Keyblade up places where the sun never shines.”

The last two voices sounded oddly familiar to Aqua, but the first person to climb the ledge they were on was another young man. He was slightly smaller than redhead, and his blue hair was pulled into a ponytail. Redhead almost immediately went to look if the newcomer was injured somehow, which earned him a hand shoved into his face. Aqua could hear Sora behind her whispering something, but he was stuck behind several other Nobodies and therefore unable to do anything. And Sora wasn’t one to shout either.

Redhead and the newcomer looked over to the general fighting, but nothing much had changed there. Except for the strange bright things flying around, but that was probably just some odd magic attack. Aqua knew plenty that probably looked the same from that far away.

After shrugging at the scene, redhead leaned over the edge and looked down with a smirk on his face.

“Say, you two ever gonna make it up here? Or don’t they teach Keyblade Masters how to climb some rocks? That would be embarrassing.”

There was no immediate reply to that taunt, and whatever one of the two people down there said, it caused the newcomer’s face to turn slightly green and even redhead looked at a loss for words for a second. After that second passed he simply frowned and crossed his arms. “I was joking. No need to hurl that kinda thing at me.”

Finally there was movement among the Nobodies, and they all gathered around Aqua again before one of them said that they were going to check the fighting up ahead. Aqua saw them off with a small nod, and was soon left with only Sora and the two strangers before her.

Sora cleared his throat.

“… The… Ringleader…?” he asked quietly, as if he was unsure if that person really was ‘the Ringleader’.

Much to Aqua’s surprise it was redhead who looked around. His eyes widened once he saw Sora.

“Who m… Oh… You’re… from Ring 8, then…? … Wait, wait. Sora?”

Both stared at each other for a long moment, before both shook their heads simultaneously and redhead let out a “Darn memory loss”.

Aqua only realised that these two people standing there while waiting for their allies were not Nobodies. Why exactly redhead had known she and her group were Nobodies was something she wondered about for a split second before Sora’s voice could be heard once more as one of the allies pulled himself over the ledge.

“Riku!!”

The silver-haired kid couldn’t even react before the other person heaved themselves onto this ledge with a grunt.

And for a moment it felt like time had stopped to make way for a million thoughts and feelings that Aqua had long since thought to be forgotten. She felt as if lightning had struck her all of a sudden, and she curled her hands into fists as her eyes started to sting. Nobodies did not cry, she told herself, they didn’t feel at all, but just a moment later a tear rolled down her cheek. Whatever a Nobody was actually supposed to be, she certainly did not fit this right now. Aqua had never been known for being one to react to anything with a fake display of emotion, but in this very moment there was so much going on in her head at once that she felt like collapsing. She was overwhelmed as she watched how the last person to get to this ledge stumbled forwards and towards her.

“A… A… Aqua… Aqua…!” It wasn’t hard to guess that he was on the verge of crying himself, but Aqua couldn’t tell at this point. She couldn’t see at all; she was just blinded by the tears welling up in her eyes. A heartbeat later she felt hands grabbing her and pulling her into a tight embrace that almost choked her, but she was mostly hiccupping because she finally allowed herself to cry. “It’s you… it’s really you… Aqua…”

“T-Terra… I… Terra…”

She was unable to answer properly and instead decided to hug him back. It was harder than she anticipated it would be, as her arms were almost too weak to lift properly. Before she even had a chance to do anything other than that, loud sobs escaped her in the same moment that Terra actually started crying as well. She felt absolutely miserable at this point, even more miserable than she had felt the moment she realised she’d lost her heart. And the simple fact that she felt all of this made all of this even worse, as she then remembered that she couldn’t feel. This was just her memory playing a cruel trick on her, her memory faking a display of emotion she could no longer feel. Yet there was sadness and happiness oozing out of her every pore as she was weeping into her childhood friend’s arms.

“It’s really you… I found you… I finally found you…”

“Terra… Oh gods, T-Terra… I-I’m so sorry…”

They were both smiling while tears streamed down their faces.

 -

It felt grossly intrusive to watch this scene unfold. They were at least ten years older than Isa, and after the first few heartbeats of the childhood friends of the Land of Departure reuniting, the childhood friends from the Destiny Islands simply started laughing at each other as well. Within a split second Isa felt reality crashing back into him, and that was that he’d actually been responsible for the death of his own childhood friend. He crossed his arms and stared away, trying to ignore both the reunions before him as well as the jealousy rising from the bottom of his stomach. Isa very well knew that after Aqua had gone missing, something inside Terra had broken, and getting her back like this was a miracle that should have been appreciated properly.

All it did to Isa was that memories resurfaced, memories of a face he’d almost forgotten at this point. Even the voice sounded faded and washed out at this point, as if that person was speaking to him through several layers of thick glass. An almost faded memory, a long forgotten voice, and no features whatsoever to go with it.

The time Isa had spent outside of the castle had almost completely banished Lea from his mind. But, the longer he thought about this, the more he started to realise. Along with Lea the guilt had been washed out almost entirely, and even the pain had been soothed a little.

Responsible for that was the guy standing next to him, and Isa swallowed. Remembering Lea was always a stab in the guts, but this time it was less intense than the many times before. To be honest, he was more bothered by the fact he and Axel simply did not belong into this scene, as even Riku and Sora had moved away to give Terra and Aqua some space.

“Hey, Isa.”

Isa just nodded and looked at the redhead. “Yeah. Let’s… give them some space.”

With that, Axel just grabbed Isa’s hand and started to gently pull him away.

 -

He hated fighting, the more he thought about it. Thanks to the Keyblade he’d inherited from his father he’d been signed up for an eternal fight since the age of four, however. Their homeworld lay too close to the border to darkness, for Light Cycle 103 brushed an entry to the Realm of Darkness’ Fog Edge (he never learned the differences between Light Cycles and Elemental Edges, but he assumed that they were basically the same, just that one was in the Realm of Light while the other was the Dark equivalent). Therefore, keeping the world safe was top priority of any Keyblade Wielder. Vanitas had accepted the Keyblade with nary a word, since his parents thought that Ventus would be born without the power to summon as well.

It turned out Ventus did have the ability to summon a Keyblade from the moment he was born (the darn sign on his hand, Vanitas remembered being jealous of it when he was much younger), but unlike Vanitas the younger boy had not been trained. Ventus himself did not particularly care about the weapon either, he was more happy with helping their mother out, anyway.

Thus, at some point, Vanitas had shaken off any jealousy and sworn that he’d keep this place safe with his father, if only for his mother and brother, to let them live in peace with a smile on their lips.

How much that childish oath had actually meant to him he realised on his own in the mountains. His only way back cut off, the kid had looked at the body of his mother, and numb from cold and shock he realised that everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. There would be no such thing as a happy end, and that was why he accepted the help of a stranger two days later. Starved and shaken as he was, there was no other way – except dying, but he only was a foolish child with his head full of fairy tales back then.

He lost the spark of energy his oath had given him within one month at the Keyblade Graveyard. Hope and dreams were something that drenched the dead ground here, but they ended up just like the ground: dry and completely incapable of growth.

But the spark was back, for the first time in years. Sure, things had changed. He was no longer a foolish child with teal eyes full of hope, but there was a glimmer back in the normally dead yellow. He saw that glimmer reflected by the strange yellow-brown that Left Hand had acquired in the time Vanitas had been gone. And for a moment he felt a surge of relief that finally hit him: Ventus was alive, and there was a way to make it out of here alive as well.

The only thing in the way for that was Braig.

Vanitas raised a small wall of ice, only for bullets to embed within it a mere second later. He was bleeding, yes – but Braig was, too. This fight was evenly matched, but Right Hand and Left Hand were the strongest people on the field until the Boss would inevitably show his face. The thing about being two co-commanders was that they knew each other’s most used moves, and even some of the more obscure tactics. Emphasis on “some”, however, because most of the injuries came from unexpected moves or gunning tactics.

He cracked a smile as he finally understood something. This battle was not only long overdue, but it was also something that he’d always wanted to do despite his inherit dislike for fighting. Most likely because Left Hand was one of the chains that kept Vanitas in this place, both out of fear and the fact that he couldn’t just leave his only friends alone with this monster. This was the perfect opportunity to not only sever a chain, but also to free his only friends from this man who had become more a creature of darkness than Vanitas himself had ever been.

Was this what 8-1 had felt like when he thought that his escape with his Ring was to succeed without a hitch before being discovered? This sudden flash of energy that he’d long since thought to be lost?

Continuing his reflecting and dodging bullet showers, Vanitas thought about how much he’d like to see home again. Not necessarily with Ventus, but it would be nice if they could go back and say farewell to this world entirely together, if they made it out of here alive. Ven had made it clear that he wanted to go back to the Land of Departure, and Vanitas had literally all the time in all worlds with him. As long as he didn’t get stabbed or shot, time and sickness had nothing on the Undying.

Because of this thinking he missed what exactly happened, but he heard a choke and looked at Left Hand dropping his guns. It seemed that finally, after using and abusing these guns for too long, the reloading process had failed and left the man vulnerable. Sure, guns were great, but a Keyblade was something Braig had always desired, if only to get rid of the reloading process entirely.

There was an eerie silence around him when Left Hand dropped dead, and Vanitas withdrew his Keyblade. Every person, whether they were on his side of the rebellion or on the other, paused to look at this scene. Right Hand, widely believed to be inferior to Left Hand, had unexpectedly risen as winner of this battle. Time in general seemed to have stopped along with this particular brawl, and Vanitas took a look around. He prayed to his sharp sight that he would be able to make out Ventus in the crowd and assist him, or anyone else from Ring 0.

He squinted.

Looked around.

And suddenly he staggered back with a loud scream as the darkness came back with a hissing snare. The blackness seeped into his eyes and robbed him of his sight entirely, and through all that screeching pain across his entire face and body, he realised the battling started once more around him as well. Just for a split moment the noise was too much to take in, and then it became all muffled.

He staggered around some more, clawing at his face desperately. He could feel blood running down his face, but he had no idea what had actually hit him. Not even a single person knew that he relied on his sight rather than any other sense other than…

Other than the Boss.

The sizzling on his skin told him that it had been dark magic, and everything fell into place as Vanitas himself fell over as well. After that, even the most muffled sound stopped.

 -

He wasn’t sure anymore. Upon arriving here, he’d been absolutely full of energy and determination. His mind had told him this was the right place to be, and somewhere within his lost memory something told him that this was right as well. He was trying to fill holes, but they remained as empty as before, telling nothing more than a nonsensical story with no context whatsoever.

Through the fighting he heard a screech of pain, and he looked around wildly. That was not a voice that was supposed to be screeching like this, he knew the voice too well for that. That person was supposed to be invincible, at least according to everyone else he ever talked to.

… But who was “he”, anyway?

There was no name he recalled. Everyone in this place had called him “Ringleader”, including the person who now stumbled around only to fall over despite having won the battle. The Ringleader was supposed to be wise and caring enough to keep his Ringmates alive, something that the Ringleader had clearly failed at. Otherwise he would have never decided to try saving all of them, and sending even more of them to their deaths with his unprepared execution of an escape gone wrong.

The Ringleader was the head of a “Ring”, something that was apparently built for something. There was a certain number of Rings scattered around here, thirteen to be exact. Every Ring was further composed of twelve members plus their Ringleader. They were there to be one piece of a whole, and thus every Ring learned one ability specifically, to not endanger that whole’s balance. The Ring he commanded had learned survival.

Survival, absurdly enough, meant the highest casualty rate among the other Rings. They had been the most, and therefore had lost the most members. A fact that had been clipping away small parts of his heart every time a person’s life was lost.

It took him years to realise something. But what that something was, and why it started making him doubt everything, he no longer recalled.

The memory was there, it just was out of his reach, and it frustrated him to no end.

Along with that he started remembering faces and names at random, they just popped up. He had recalled Sora the moment he’d seen the teenager, and he remembered people called Roxas and Xion, a Ryuu, he recalled someone named Vanitas…

And Isa.

There was a dull, throbbing ache in his chest, and he raised a hand to grab a fistful of scarf while running up a hill. He was panting harder than he was supposed to, and the dull throb was spreading to his head. It was a hammering pain, and he wished to just remember his own name to at least make this pain stop. There was no name he could call upon other than the one Isa had given him way back, however, back when he woke up in Radiant Garden and had been taken to the castle.

His will to fight for this was fading quickly amongst the fog in his brain, and he felt like a cheap replacement for someone else. Everyone here had a purpose, a reason to fight for – Aqua, Terra, all of them. The Nobody was especially impressive because despite the heavy losses among her kind she was still fighting on, with newfound vigour as she fought alongside her childhood friend and training partner. Side by side she battled Heartless with Terra, the Keyblade Master who had diligently followed orders after his unsolicited attack on Isa and him in Radiant Garden.

But not trusting someone who had no memories and a weapon as dangerous as a Keyblade was right, wasn’t it?

… Then why had Isa defended him in the first place? Someone as clever as the man from Radiant Garden must have known that the Keyblade Masters mostly acted out of concern for their Light Cycles rather than hatred. Terra was partially an exception from this, but even then the Master had only done his best once he’d been put back into his place by his own teacher.

A dull throb not unlike the one when he woke up in Radiant Garden wrecked his head, and he stifled a groan. Yes, this felt exactly like the time he woke up in Radiant Garden, only to be bombarded by questions by strangers who had gathered around him. When he failed to give them answers they had started to kick him like some dying animal. Panic surged through his veins for a second when he remembered this moment, but he calmed back down almost immediately. Panic was not something a Keyblade Wielder should wrangle with.

Though through panic he had first called upon his weapon back in Radiant Garden, and quickly used it to point it at Isa himself.

After letting go of this weapon, his memory had yet another hole, and the next thing in his head was Isa. Isa, Isa, Isa. Everything he remembered from this point on had a certain blue tint and a slightly sarcastic tone to it – even though that was not the first memory he had of him, no.

The first memory was the picture of this perfect stranger at Radiant Garden, with a weapon pointed at him. It was a pale person, much paler than he was now. Back then, Isa’s skin had been kind of sick-looking because of the other’s lack of fresh air and such. A familiar sight, but at this time he’d been too confused to wrestle with this feeling. The pain and the dull throbbing had become too much, and thus he’d only collapsed after the blue-haired had gently nudged the Keyblade away.

Axel frowned, and that moment he started thinking again.

“Axel”.

What was the reasoning behind this name? Isa had chosen it with such determination in his voice that the redhead had wondered about it for a bit, but then he’d let it go.

A chain of seemingly unrelated events and words suddenly started chaining themselves together in his head, and the chains of his memories that had been undone long ago started to come back. They were running now, and towards…

Axel stopped dead. He stopped dead so suddenly that Isa, who had fallen behind him by now, crashed into the taller man and sent them both tumbling to the dead ground. He registered several people calling out for Isa and “Axel”, the makeshift name he’d been given. While Isa struggled back to his feet and replied, he remained on the ground for a bit longer in order to not disturb his own concentration. There was a reason for all of this happening right now, the way it did. There had to be one, and he was this close to recalling it. It was right on the tip of his tongue, a name, a reason, anything relating to this.

Once more he struggled to grasp the memory entirely, and his frustration built up until finally something popped up in his head.

A plan. This was all a plan, a situation carefully laid out for… Something. It was a plan to obtain… the X-Blade? The uneasy feeling that always accompanied him whenever he remembered something of note returned to him, and his stomach started turning. He’d read about what the X-Blade was, and Isa had told him more about it as well. It was the tool to unlock Kingdom Hearts, something that was associated with the Keyblade War.

This plan was about bringing back the Keyblade War, and therefore war upon the worlds and realms.

He stood up slowly, and the quiet world around him burst into full noise again, but Axel registered none of it. He saw and felt Isa tugging at his sleeve asking something, but he heard not a single word of what the blue-haired said with his usual worried expression. He watched as Nobodies raged on and Keyblades being tossed and thrown around. There was a crashing sound, he watched as people fell or fled, he watched blankly as a black-haired girl sprinted across the dead fields and dodged spells that were being blasted around. And all these Heartless, just Heartless, everywhere—

 -

_Shattering and screaming, clattering and rattling. Windows were breaking, and doors flying around and through dark clouds. People were screaming as they fled through said clouds. And all these Heartless, just Heartless wherever he looked._

_They were running, running faster than usually. They always ran a lot, but this time it was something else. His mother had told him to get to the city centre, that she would be there to wait for him with his siblings, but right now it was just dark all around him and his best friend._

_Usually he avoided summoning his weapon when with his friend, but today everything seemed to fall apart, and the weapon soothed both their nerves. The black shadows and such seemed to avoid them because of it. Or maybe they were coming after them even more viciously? He had absolutely no idea, and his cold and stiff fingers cramped around both the weapon and the hand he was holding as he dragged his friend through the streets._

_The night had been strange already, and this World Storm was not that much of a surprise to the kid. He’d felt something had been wrong, but this was different from what he’d expected altogether._

_The cold wind and rain were tearing at them as they ran, and he was getting even more and more stiff and numb. Everything hurt, every bone and muscle, but he knew he had to carry on. He was the stronger one of this duo, and his friend was already slowing down again. He tugged angrily, and his friend let out a small grunt. They were exhausted, since children normally never tried running to the city centre all on their own in the rain._

_At some point, things changed. He had lost track of everything already. He stumbled over something on the ground, and fell onto his stomach, while his friend followed right after._

_His friend stood back up really fast, while he caught a breath on the ground. The Heartless had suddenly stopped advancing, as soon as they had fallen. Getting back up was a struggle, and he only saw his friend stagger backwards a little._

_There’d been some kind of violet flash, and there was dark smoke rising from his friend’s face as the kid fell, and he struggled back to his feet. His body barely obeyed, and he couldn’t stand for longer than a moment to see what apparently had happened._

_A stranger stood there, an all too familiar-looking weapon in his hands. But even in the dark he saw that this stranger’s eyes were glowing like those of the Heartless, and before he could make another sound his body stopped obeying and he crashed back to the ground._

_“Sorry, mum, ‘m not gonna… make it… to the centre…”_

_He was ready to close his eyes and wait for that stranger to finish whatever they were doing, but instead he heard an ear-splitting scream and saw his friend rolling on the floor, blood oozing from where dark smoke had risen moments ago. He heard the stranger snort and turn around, but he was already crawling over to his friend and tried helping him._

_“Isa! Isa, please, calm down! Isa!”_

 -

His skull felt like it had been cracked, but he was absolutely sure that he was unharmed. He’d blacked out entirely for a second, and he only saw blurry colours melding back into strange shapes. Most of all there was an overwhelming amount of dusty yellow and dirty brown, but there was a bright blue spot right in front of him as well. His senses returned slowly, and he felt that he was being shaken violently. The fuzzy sounds returned to actually making sense, and someone was calling a name. A name he knew that he should react to, but it felt foreign all of a sudden. Too foreign to bear, and therefore he decided to make sure that the other would stop calling this name so desperately. The only way to make the other stop, however, was to reply, and thus he opened his mouth to croak out an answer.

“I… sa.”

There was no black smoke or blood this time, only a smooth cross-shaped scar across that person’s face. The face wasn’t the round one of a child either, but the face of a young adult with a certain amount of bitterness irreversibly burned into the blue eyes.

The dull throb suddenly became a stinging pain, and he winced slightly.

The noise was increasing, and all of a sudden he realised that they had actually come pretty close to the fighting. Children and teenagers, but also young adults were fighting a bit down that hill, but it was clear that this was purely chaos more than organised fighting. No one knew who was an ally or an enemy anymore, and therefore people just started wildly hitting everything and everyone. There were faces among these people that he recognised, but also faces he didn’t.

“I’m… fine, sorry…”

He gently grabbed Isa’s hands and removed them from his shoulder. The blue-haired had quite a hard grip when he really wanted to, something that kind of was worrying. Isa just dropped his hands once he let go, and the arms swung around a bit. There was worry written across the blue-haired’s face as clearly visible as the scar.

Right past Isa’s worried face, there was another movement, and he turned to look at what was happening not too far away from them both.

There was a person bending over and grabbing someone. For some reason his entire body went rigid as he stared at the scene unfold, as the much taller person picked up a clearly unconscious teenager by his neck. The black hair was drenched in blood as much as the strange-looking clothes, and there was still blood running down that teenager’s face.

… No, that wasn’t a teenager. That was Right Hand. Right Hand, and he couldn’t even see the black-haired’s eyes. The eyes that had always so prominently glared out of the pale face with their bright yellow colour. Now there was nothing but a bloody mess, with a few dark wisps still licking away from the injury. He swallowed hard – Right Hand’s eyes had been burned out by dark magic, and there was only one master of dark magic around here.

The person who had grabbed Right Hand only shook his head and rolled his eyes, before tossing Right Hand away as if he was an empty puppet. The unconscious Undying crashed into a large field of dead Keyblades, rolled around a bit and lay perfectly still. The crash had been hard, and there’d been at least three different bones been broken from that landing alone. If the black-haired wasn’t already dead.

“Back to the more important issues on hand.”

He froze as cold yellow eyes stared at him, and Isa slowly turned around. He was certain the blue-haired froze out of terror, but he couldn’t be sure either – he wasn’t able to move himself. The world seemed to be made of ice, only to be swept away in a hot wave when the yellow-eyed man started grinning.

Aqua and Terra called out a name from way behind him and Isa, apparently the name of that person in front of them. There was a good amount of fear in their voices, as well as shock in Aqua’s and an unspoken curse in Terra’s. Their voices seemed to break the ice put around Isa, and the man from Radiant Garden let out a strangled scream of terror as he stumbled backwards.

The person that Aqua and Terra had called “Xehanort” just now only continued grinning as he looked at the four in front of him. This look as almost demonic, and considering he’d just seen this man dispose of one of the most deadly people in the entire Keyblade Army with nary a wave of an arm, it seemed to be appropriate to be terrified.

There was a different reason why “Axel” was terrified though. Almost the same moment that Xehanort opened his mouth, both his biggest hope and biggest fear came true simultaneously. The throbbing pain vanished, and the memories came crashing back in because of a single sentence spoken by this man.

 

_“There you are, Lea.”_


End file.
